paperweight

American  

[pey-per-weyt] / ˈpeɪ pərˌweɪt /

noun

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

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paperweight British  

/ ˈpeɪpəˌweɪt /

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of paperweight

First recorded in 1855–60; paper + weight

Example Sentences

So Friday morning, coach Sean McVay arrived at the team’s Woodland Hills facility with a message inscribed in black letters on a paperweight:

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 10, 2025

The gold wrapping paper hides a red box Shiv opens to discover . . . a scorpion inside a paperweight.

From Salon • May 8, 2023

When only one person has a phone, it’s a paperweight.

From Washington Post • Nov. 3, 2022

Far away from the paperweight, the ant has no trouble doing its walk, which looks straight to us.

From Textbooks • Oct. 13, 2016

There her eye was caught by a sparkle on the floor by the desk, and she found the glass paperweight, and after that the remaining sheet of the note on the desk.

From "The Incredible Journey" by Sheila Burnford