paper tiger
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of paper tiger
First recorded in 1945–50
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.
Driving him into exile is an opportunity for the president to paint the grouping a paper tiger.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 4, 2025
We have 11 months to find out if this paper tiger can become a real one.
From Salon ● Dec. 30, 2023
Never mind that Tom Collins was a figure of the late Victorian imagination, a paper tiger used purely to agitate and dismay one’s friends for the purposes of entertainment.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 6, 2023
"Before, the virus was as fierce as a tiger, but now it is a paper tiger," the contributor wrote last week.
From Reuters ● Dec. 2, 2022
"Truly, the all-powerful Yin would risk his flowery existence, laughing at this paper tiger, who is mad enough to demand an audience with the Son of Heaven," replied one of the mandarins.
From The War Tiger Or, Adventures and Wonderful Fortunes of the Young Sea Chief and His Lad Chow: A Tale of the Conquest of China by Dalton, William
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.
