paper

[pey-per]

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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.

Idioms

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 papȳrus papyrus

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for papers

citation, summons, voucher, file, deed, id, certificate, grant, archive, instrument, passport, indictment, warrant, diploma, plea, credentials, data, dossier, bill, affidavit

Examples from the Web for papers

Contemporary Examples of papers

Even then, most of us doubted he would show up and actually sign the papers allowing him to enter the 1992 New Hampshire primary.
President Cuomo Would’ve Been a Lion
Jonathan Alter
January 2, 2015
But Bush has done exactly that, filing the papers for BH Global Aviation with the SEC right around Thanksgiving.
Be the Smarter Bush Brother, Jeb: Don’t Run!
Michael Tomasky
December 17, 2014
It may be that some hagiographer yet to come will find the stained sheets of fact and memory amid his papers.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days
David Freeman
December 13, 2014
“They were essentially living out of the car,” the papers said.
The Navy ‘Hero’ Who Pimped an HIV-Positive Teen
M.L. Nestel
December 11, 2014
Just two days later, the papers began what can only be described as a love affair with Mustafa Kemal Pasha (later Atatürk).
The 20th-Century Dictator Most Idolized by Hitler
William O’Connor
November 24, 2014

Historical Examples of papers

He was seated at a table with a variety of papers spread out before him.
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger
As matters stand, I don't care to have papers, so freely written, about me.
Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9)
Samuel Richardson
There are some papers and some money I must possess myself of.
The Imaginary Invalid
Molire
It did help the milliner, too, for I bought three and they were printed in the papers.
The Bacillus of Beauty
Harriet Stark
Perhaps you think I don't read anything but the daily papers.
In the Midst of Alarms
Robert Barr

British Dictionary definitions for papers

paper

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)

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

Word Origin and History for papers

paper

mid-14c., from Anglo-French paper, Old French papier "paper, document," from Latin papyrus "paper, paper made of papyrus stalks" (see papyrus).

Meaning "paper money" attested from 1722. As shortened form of newspaper, first attested 1640s. In plural, "collection of papers to establish one's identity, credentials, etc.," it is attested from 1680s. Paper chase is British slang from 1932.

paper

1590s, "to write down on paper," from paper (n.). Meaning "to decorate a room with paper hangings" is from 1774. Related: Papered; papering. Verbal phrase paper over in the figurative sense is from 1955, from the notion of hiding plaster cracks with wallaper.

paper

adj.

1590s, from paper (n.). Figurative of something flimsy or unsubstantial from 1716. Paper tiger (1952) translates Chinese tsuh lao fu, popularized by Mao Zedong. Paper doll attested from 1849; paper plate from 1723.

Idioms and Phrases with papers

paper

In addition to the idiom beginning with paper

paper over

also see:

on paper
push paper
walking papers