on paper

Idioms  

1. In theory, hypothetically, as in Considering casualties, on paper the Americans won the Vietnam War, or They are a good team on paper but not so in the field. This metaphoric expression contrasts something written down with concrete reality. [Late 1700s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

on paper

Writer Joan Didion captured L.A. in thought and on paper.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

So on paper, passing up the coin flip means missing out on a lot of value.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026

I don’t want to say too much about what happens, because it wouldn’t be as funny on paper as it is in motion.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

Rules that look impressive on paper quickly lose value if there are no consequences for violating them.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

She learned to calculate the parameters necessary to fix the possible variables within the “positronic brain”; to construct “brains” on paper such that the responses to given stimuli could be accurately predicted.

From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov