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

The continent had drifted so far from its official coordinates by 2017 that the government moved the entire nation almost 6 feet on paper to reconcile maps with reality.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

It’s a strategy that often works better on paper than in reality.

From Slate ● Aug. 5, 2026

They had every reason, on paper at least, to be excited.

From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026

Another week, another Big Tech company putting up unusually large profit growth thanks to artificial-intelligence developer Anthropic — at least on paper.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 2, 2026

My life was written on paper and preserved on paper—all those bloody scholars scratching their notes and their thoughts and their observations.

From "The Girl Who Drank the Moon" by Kelly Barnhill