paperweight

[ pey-per-weyt ]

noun
  1. a small, heavy object of glass, metal, etc., placed on papers to keep them from scattering.

Origin of paperweight

1
First recorded in 1855–60; paper + weight

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use paperweight in a sentence

  • Ill hear it, said Dangerfield, bending his brows down and playing with a paper-weight that happened to be near by.

    The Woman Gives | Owen Johnson
  • He picked up a shard of rubidium that served as a paper weight and toyed with it.

    The Stutterer | R.R. Merliss
  • The apparition this time was much more distinct, and it lifted the paper weight, as Henry had three weeks before.

    Duffels | Edward Eggleston
  • His notes lay in front of him, the little stubnosed pistol serving as a paper weight to hold the two wrinkled envelopes flat.

    The Escape of Mr. Trimm | Irvin S. Cobb
  • One of the reporters picked up a paper weight and would have hurled it against the closed door, had not another restrained him.

    Ghost Beyond the Gate | Mildred A. Wirt

British Dictionary definitions for paperweight

paperweight

/ (ˈpeɪpəˌweɪt) /


noun
  1. a small heavy object placed on loose papers to prevent them from scattering

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