paper

American  

[pey-per] / ˈpeɪ pər /

noun

• papers
  plural

1. a substance made from wood pulp, rags, straw, or other fibrous material, usually in thin sheets, used to bear writing or printing, for wrapping things, etc.

2. a piece, sheet, or leaf of this.

3. something resembling this substance, as papyrus.

4. a written or printed document or the like.

5. stationery; writing paper.

6. a newspaper or journal.

7. an essay, article, or dissertation on a particular topic.

   a paper on early Mayan artifacts.

8. Often papers. a document establishing or verifying identity, status, or the like.

   citizenship papers.

9. negotiable notes, bills, etc., as commercial paper or paper money.

   Only silver, please, no paper.

10. a promissory note.

11. papers,

    1. Nautical. ship's papers.

    2. rolling paper.

12. wallpaper.

13. toilet paper.

14. a sheet or card of paper with pins or needles stuck through it in rows.

15. a set of questions for an examination, an individual set of written answers to them, or any written piece of schoolwork.

16. Slang. a free pass to an entertainment.

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verb (used with object)

• papers,
  present (3rd person singular)
• papered,
  past participle,  past
• papering
  present participle

1. to cover with wallpaper or apply wallpaper to.

   They papered the bedroom last summer.

2. to line or cover with paper.

3. to distribute handbills, posters, etc., throughout.

   to paper a neighborhood with campaign literature.

4. to fold, enclose, or wrap in paper.

5. to supply with paper.

6. Informal. to deluge with documents, especially those requiring one to comply with certain technical procedures, as a means of legal harassment.

   He papered the plaintiff to force a settlement.

7. Slang. to fill (a theater or the like) with spectators by giving away free tickets or passes.

8. Archaic.

   1. to write or set down on paper.

   2. to describe in writing.

verb (used without object)

• papers,
  present (3rd person singular)
• papered,
  past participle,  past
• papering
  present participle

1. to apply wallpaper to walls.

adjective

1. made of paper or paperlike material.

   a paper bag.

2. paperlike; thin, flimsy, or frail.

3. of, relating to, or noting routine clerical duties.

4. pertaining to or carried on by means of letters, articles, books, etc..

   a paper war.

5. written or printed on paper.

6. existing in theory or principle only and not in reality.

   paper profits.

7. indicating the first event of a series, as a wedding anniversary.

8. Slang. including many patrons admitted on free passes, as an audience for a theatrical performance.

   It's a paper house tonight.

verb phrase

1. paper over to patch up or attempt to conceal (a difference, disagreement, etc.) so as to preserve a friendship, present a unified opinion, etc..

   to paper over a dispute.

idioms

1. on paper,

   1. in written or printed form.

   2. in theory rather than in practice.

   3. existing only in a preliminary state; in a plan or design.

      The university building program is still only on paper.

paper British  

/ ˈpeɪpə /

noun

1. a substance made from cellulose fibres derived from rags, wood, etc, often with other additives, and formed into flat thin sheets suitable for writing on, decorating walls, wrapping, etc

2. a single piece of such material, esp if written or printed on

3. (usually plural) documents for establishing the identity of the bearer; credentials

4. Also called: ship's papers.  (plural) official documents relating to the ownership, cargo, etc, of a ship

5. (plural) collected diaries, letters, etc

6. See newspaper wallpaper

7. government See white paper green paper command paper

8. a lecture or short published treatise on a specific subject

9. a short essay, as by a student

10. 1. a set of written examination questions

    2. the student's answers

11. commerce See commercial paper

12. slang theatre a free ticket

13. in theory, as opposed to fact

    it was a good idea on paper, but failed in practice

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adjective

1. made of paper

   paper cups do not last long

2. thin like paper

   paper walls

3. (prenominal) existing only as recorded on paper but not yet in practice

   paper profits

   paper expenditure

4. taking place in writing

   paper battles

verb

1. to cover (walls) with wallpaper

2. (tr) to cover or furnish with paper

3. slang (tr) theatre to fill (a performance) by giving away free tickets (esp in the phrase paper the house )

paper More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing paper

• on paper
• push paper
• walking papers

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• paperer
  noun
• repaper
  verb (used with object)
• paperless
  adjective
• paperlike
  adjective
• unpapered
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• papers
  plural

Participles

• papering
  present
• papered
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• paper
  simple
• papers
  simple
• have papered
  perfect
• has papered
  perfect
• am papering
  progressive
• are papering
  progressive
• is papering
  progressive
• have been papering
  perfect progressive
• has been papering
  perfect progressive

Past

• papered
  simple
• had papered
  perfect
• was papering
  progressive
• were papering
  progressive
• had been papering
  perfect progressive

Future

• will paper
  simple
• will have papered
  perfect
• will be papering
  progressive
• will have been papering
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of paper

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English papire, from Latin papȳrus papyrus

Explanation

Paper is the thin, flexible material you doodle on during math class. It's also paper that you fold carefully into the shape of an airplane before launching it across the classroom. If you've ever ripped a sheet of paper or crumpled one into a ball, it might be hard to believe that it comes from trees — wood pulp, to be exact. The history of paper is long, dating as far back as the second century BCE in China. Paper can also mean "newspaper," or "essay," and as a verb it means "cover with paper." You might, for example, decide to paper your bedroom walls with colorful pieces of paper.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

paper papers papered papering

There is no universal definition, but shell companies are businesses that exist primarily on paper and lack direct human owners.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026

The company built pellet plants across the southern U.S., moving into parts of the pinery where pulp and paper mills had closed and left behind surfeits of sawdust, wood chips and cheap pulpwood.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

"Sometimes they printed a certain configuration, and the product just melted," said Azza Fadhel, first author of the paper and a PhD student in computer science.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 27, 2026

Curry recurs in Téa Leoni’s excellent sitcom as Sir Rudolph Halley, the imperious, amoral owner of the tabloid paper where Nora, Leoni’s character, works as a photographer.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026

On the table in front of the switchboard lay a single sheet of typewritten paper.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

Cofnas added that “Many passages are lifted with minimal editing, sometimes retaining copy-editing mistakes from the original source,” and found similar issues in other papers written by Arday.

From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026

She dismisses some research papers on it as "absolutely poor quality".

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

Still, as I shuffled papers, I became part of the buffering, incomplete chain of communication.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026

That effort has effectively been put to bed, as Menendez concluded that Congress never intended to allow the AG to access voter records and papers that state election officials create.

From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2026

More for something to do with my hands than because I was really interested, I started organizing the papers on Mom’s desk.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

Backed by a big, throwback live band, “Lost Me” beautifully papered over a failed relationship with an uncertain young bravado; “Backup Plan” gave his one-of-kind baritone room to roam and plead.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 13, 2026

But as someone who was in the chamber for that speech, those affects papered over a frequent incomprehensibility.

From Slate ● Feb. 24, 2026

Ekitike's quickfire double papered over the cracks of another concerning first half performance for Arne Slot.

From Barron's ● Jan. 31, 2026

The Hurricanes’ pass rush has papered over plenty of postseason errors and kept Miami in close games.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 11, 2026

In the midst of the crowd at Santa Anita sat Charles and Marcela Howard, forced smiles papered over their faces.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

On Monday, the climate-vulnerable Alliance of Small Island States said countries could not keep ignoring "the elephant in the room" and warned that anything short of winding down fossil fuels was "papering over the cracks".

From Barron's ● Jun. 8, 2026

“AI is papering over the cracks,” said Stefan Angrick, head of Japan and frontier markets economics at Moody’s Analytics in Tokyo.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 4, 2026

They were 78-5 and 78-7 against Bangladesh and Pakistan respectively, the tournament's bottom two teams, with an edgy win and a washout papering over concerning cracks.

From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2025

They’re just papering over the crushing weight of impending responsibility.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 11, 2025

Where the press fell short, Howard and the Buick management filled in by papering the city with full-page ads and brochures trumpeting every win.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

Related Words

• card
• note
• pad
• poster
• sheet
• stationery