paper

[ pey-per ]

/ ˈpeɪ pər /

noun

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.

a piece, sheet, or leaf of this.

something resembling this substance, as papyrus.

a written or printed document or the like.

stationery; writing paper.

a newspaper or journal.

an essay, article, or dissertation on a particular topic: a paper on early Mayan artifacts.

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

negotiable notes, bills, etc., as commercial paper or paper money: Only silver, please, no paper.

a promissory note.

papers,

Nautical. ship's papers.
rolling paper.

wallpaper.

toilet paper.

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

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

Slang. a free pass to an entertainment.

verb (used with object)

to cover with wallpaper or apply wallpaper to: They papered the bedroom last summer.

to line or cover with paper.

to distribute handbills, posters, etc., throughout: to paper a neighborhood with campaign literature.

to fold, enclose, or wrap in paper.

to supply with paper.

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.

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

Archaic.

to write or set down on paper.
to describe in writing.

verb (used without object)

to apply wallpaper to walls.

adjective

made of paper or paperlike material: a paper bag.

paperlike; thin, flimsy, or frail.

of, relating to, or noting routine clerical duties.

pertaining to or carried on by means of letters, articles, books, etc.: a paper war.

written or printed on paper.

existing in theory or principle only and not in reality: paper profits.

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

Slang. including many patrons admitted on free passes, as an audience for a theatrical performance: It's a paper house tonight.

Verb Phrases

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.

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Question 1 of 9

You may have read the word "simmer" in a recipe or two, but what does it really mean?

To cook in water that begins cold and then reaches a boil.

To stew in a sauce for a long time.

To cook in water, just below boiling temperature.

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Idioms for paper

on paper,

in written or printed form.
in theory rather than in practice.
existing only in a preliminary state; in a plan or design: The university building program is still only on paper.

Origin of paper

1325–75; Middle English papire<Latin papȳruspapyrus

OTHER WORDS FROM paper

pa·per·less, adjectivepa·per·like, adjectivere·pa·per, verb (used with object)un·pa·pered, adjective

Words nearby paper

papaw, papaya, Papeete, papelera, Papen, paper, paperback, paperbark, paperbark maple, paper birch, paperboard

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for paper

Depending on where you live, you might vote on a screen, a punchcard, or a piece of paper.
What long voting lines in the US really mean|Melissa Hirsch|September 17, 2020|Vox
I began looking at Metrc, and I was very surprised to find that growers were writing down barcodes on paper.
Canix aims to ease cannabis cultivators’ regulatory bookkeeping|Matt Burns|September 17, 2020|TechCrunch
They must acquire large volumes of specialized envelopes and paper.
Vote by mail: Which states allow absentee voting|Kate Rabinowitz, Brittany Mayes|September 17, 2020|Washington Post
When I co-authored that paper, I didn’t think that this could happen.
A New Algorithm for Graph Crossings, Hiding in Plain Sight|Stephanie DeMarco|September 15, 2020|Quanta Magazine

His paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences the next year went further by showing that epigenetic changes are responsible for this training.
‘Trained Immunity’ Offers Hope in Fight Against Coronavirus|Esther Landhuis|September 14, 2020|Quanta Magazine
“We would just as soon stay away from a group that will create controversy,” the Cubs general manager Sam Bernabe told the paper.
The Louisiana Racists Who Courted Steve Scalise|Jason Berry|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Back when Sam went upstate, job searches required nothing more than a typewriter, some paper, and the classifieds.
His First Day Out Of Jail After 40 Years: Adjusting To Life Outside|Justin Rohrlich|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The reality TV mogul bared her butt—and everything else, too—for Paper Magazine in a spread that sent Twitter into a tizzy.
Kim Kardashian Cheekily Breaks the Internet|Kevin O’Keeffe|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Using a heatproof slotted spoon, remove the shallots to a paper towel-lined plate.
Make Carla Hall’s Crispy Shallot Green Bean Casserole|Carla Hall|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Allow beans to cool completely then remove to a paper towel-lined plate to dry.
Make Carla Hall’s Crispy Shallot Green Bean Casserole|Carla Hall|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Mr. Byrd nodded and made a few strokes with his pencil on the paper before him.
Hand and Ring|Anna Katharine Green
On turning the paper through ninety degrees or by actual measurement, the extent of the illusion will become apparent.
Visual Illusions|Matthew Luckiesh
This is the filth the German paper was not ashamed to print.
Georges Guynemer|Henry Bordeaux
Lay on different parts of the skin a small, square piece of paper with a small central hole in it.
A Practical Physiology|Albert F. Blaisdell
He found her in the midst of tiny wisps of paper, thread, and wool, that had been her chief concern for three days past.
"Wee Tim'rous Beasties"|Douglas English

British Dictionary definitions for paper

paper

/ (ˈpeɪpə) /

noun

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, etcRelated adjective: papyraceous

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

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

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

(plural) collected diaries, letters, etc

See newspaper, wallpaper

government See white paper, green paper, command paper

a lecture or short published treatise on a specific subject

a short essay, as by a student

a set of written examination questions
the student's answers

commerce See commercial paper

theatre slang a free ticket

on paper in theory, as opposed to factit was a good idea on paper, but failed in practice

adjective

made of paperpaper cups do not last long

thin like paperpaper walls

(prenominal) existing only as recorded on paper but not yet in practicepaper profits; paper expenditure

taking place in writingpaper battles

verb

to cover (walls) with wallpaper

(tr) to cover or furnish with paper

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

Derived forms of paper

paperer, noun

Word Origin for paper

C14: from Latin papyrus

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

Idioms and Phrases with paper

paper

In addition to the idiom beginning with paper

paper over

also see:

on paper
push paper
walking papers

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