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Synonyms

paperwork

American  
[pey-per-wurk] / ˈpeɪ pərˌwɜrk /

noun

  1. written or clerical work, as records or reports, forming a necessary but often a routine and secondary part of some work or job.

paperwork British  
/ ˈpeɪpəˌwɜːk /

noun

  1. clerical work, such as the completion of forms or the writing of reports or letters

"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

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

First recorded in 1580–90; paper + work

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.

In February, he replaced a Justice Department attorney who was prosecuting two officers for allegedly lying in paperwork in support of the warrant to search Taylor’s home.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026

"We had the reports and the paperwork, but actual items from the disaster simply weren't there."

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

They avoid anything official at all costs, anything that involves paperwork.

From Salon • Apr. 4, 2026

The former “Diff’rent Strokes” actor, 60, filed paperwork asking to end his marriage Tuesday in Arizona, Us Weekly reported Thursday.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

It could have been left behind by mistake—some of Mia’s paperwork or Pearl’s schoolwork, perhaps, overlooked in their hasty departure.

From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng

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.