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Synonyms

photocopier

American  
[foh-tuh-kop-ee-er] / ˈfoʊ təˌkɒp i ər /

noun

  • photocopiers
    plural
  1. any electrically operated machine using a photographic method, as the electrostatic process, for making instant copies of written, drawn, or printed material.


photocopier British  
/ ˈfəʊtəʊˌkɒpɪə /

noun

  1. an instrument using light-sensitive photographic materials to reproduce written, printed, or graphic work

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms


Etymology

Origin of photocopier

First recorded in 1930–35; photo- + copier


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.

See Examples For:

Later, he mounted exhibitions with art created by photocopier and fax machine, carefully building vast pictures from single sheets of paper.

From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026

“I see my work evolve more in evolutions, rather than in revolutions,” Tillmans said, gesturing to a conceptual wall-sized image created with a photocopier.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 17, 2026

The blue light of the photocopier flashes on their faces.

From Salon ● May 12, 2022

At the store, Mr. Patel would write reflective sayings on Essex Card Shop stationery, using the shop’s photocopier to make 30 or 40 leaflets a week to offer to customers.

From New York Times ● Jan. 25, 2022

For three years, I’d given myself to it with zeal, taking responsibility for the largest and the smallest of operational tasks, right down to restocking paper in the photocopier.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

The artist’s long career swept in artworks made not only on cameras and canvases, but on such things as fax machines and photocopiers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026

Its photocopiers didn’t need awkward stencils to serve as the master copy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 15, 2025

“It’s a lot of mental stress,” said Kenneth Chu, who used to sell photocopiers for Xerox but now organizes a popular men’s basketball game on Friday nights.

From New York Times ● Jun. 4, 2022

Brian McBride, one of eight children, started his business life selling photocopiers for Xerox in the 1970s.

From BBC ● Feb. 18, 2022

Familiar hyena-like laughter reaches us from the bank of printers and photocopiers along the half wall separating the checkout area and the book stacks.

From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali

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