hard copy
Americannoun
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copy, as computer output printed on paper, that can be read without using a special device (opposed to soft copy).
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copy that is finished and ready for the printer.
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of hard copy
An Americanism dating back to 1885–90
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A hard copy is available for $50, but don’t bother—its “reference scenario” is already stale.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 2026
A spokesperson said each item was being taken to a warehouse in a secret location to be individually photographed, so that both a digital book and hard copy could be given to the Osbourne family.
From BBC • Aug. 6, 2025
Meanwhile, the participants who held on to a hard copy of the insult experienced only a small decrease in their overall anger.
From Science Daily • Apr. 9, 2024
The bag, the instructions advise, also should contain a hard copy of maps and a compass — “goin’ old school!”
From Seattle Times • Mar. 22, 2024
“You just happen to have a hard copy of your journal with you?”
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
