paperwork
Americannoun
noun
Usage
What does paperwork mean? Paperwork is the task of filling out forms, especially when they’re literally on paper. More generally, paperwork refers to routine clerical and administrative work like recordkeeping and processing documents (regardless of whether they’re on paper). Paperwork can be done as part of one’s job (the boring part), or in any setting that involves filling out forms, such as buying a house or a car or applying for a job. Doing so is often referred to as filling out (the) paperwork, doing (the) paperwork, or completing (the) paperwork. Paperwork is a collective noun, meaning it appears in a singular form but refers to such tasks as a group. Example: Applying for a job with the government required her to fill out an incredible amount of paperwork about her family history, education, and travel activity.
Etymology
Origin of paperwork
Explanation
Any task you do that involves many pieces of paper (like paying bills or filling out forms) is called paperwork. Some jobs feel like they're nothing but paperwork. If your teacher does paperwork while your class takes an exam, he might grade papers, fill out applications for grant money, or organize the many sheets of paper he's accumulated over the semester. When paperwork was coined in the sixteenth century, it meant "things made of paper." By the late 1800s, it came to mean "work done on paper." Paperwork is less common today, as work is increasingly done electronically — it may be time for a new word!
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.
Social workers in Vale of Glamorgan are testing Beam Notes transcription software that records and summarises their interactions with clients, cutting the time it takes to produce the paperwork associated with their roles.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
She alleged that details about the HOA’s finances were withheld from her until she was presented with the final paperwork.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
In other cases, AI is reducing the burden of paperwork facing frontline health and support staff.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
Most cases are dismissed due to procedural issues, such as the applicant failing to appear in court or submit the proper paperwork on time.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
As his father filled out the registration paperwork in the school office, Fadi gazed out the window at the students filing into the adjacent elementary school.
From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
