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paper tape

American  

noun

Computers.
  1. a narrow strip of paper in which holes are punched in designated patterns to represent characters: formerly in common use as an input/output medium.


paper tape British  

noun

  1. a former name for punched tape

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of paper tape

1885–90, for earlier sense


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.

See Examples For:

By that point, stock traders had moved away from using old-fashioned stock tickers and their endless spools of paper tape.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 17, 2026

Cash registers punched holes into paper tape to record sales; the tape would then be sent to headquarters each day and fed into a computer to analyze sales.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 9, 2025

A system like The Container Store’s Elfa Over the Door Rack can also serve as a crafting station, containing rolls of paper, tape, scissors and markers in its many baskets.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 6, 2022

They knew that Mr. Gorky had adhered “The Limit” to the canvas with glue along the edges as well as kraft paper tape, an adhesive meant to be easily removable.

From New York Times ● Oct. 21, 2021

Operators type in an enciphered message, and—if we’ve got the settings right—the original German is printed on paper tape.

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

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