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

---

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

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

He filed the paperwork for the dual listing in March.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

The mother had previously submitted paperwork to the elementary school and district expressing clearly that her son was not permitted to participate in pool activities, the complaint states.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 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

Once she had begun the paperwork for Luke, Mother decided she might as well get birth certificates for all of us.

From "Educated" by Tara Westover

Related Words

• filing