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photocopy

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

noun

photocopies plural
  1. a photographic reproduction of a document, print, or the like.


verb (used with object)

photocopies, present (3rd person singular) photocopied, past participle, past photocopying present participle
  1. to reproduce (a document, print, or the like) photographically.

photocopy British  
/ ˈfəʊtəʊˌkɒpɪ /

noun

  1. a photographic reproduction of written, printed, or graphic work See also microcopy

"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

verb

  1. to reproduce (written, printed, or graphic work) on photographic material

"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

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Etymology

Origin of photocopy

First recorded in 1920–25; photo- + copy

Vocabulary lists containing photocopy

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.

They have to rely on patients to recount their medical histories or wait hours or even days for another clinician to send a DVD, a fax — or a photocopy.

From MarketWatch • May 4, 2026

Down the sidewalk, I mailed packages for our boys at the pack-and-ship shop, and stopped to photocopy teaching materials for my weekly state-prison volunteering gig.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026

Items should include a flashlight, radio, water, non-perishable foods, warm clothing and a photocopy of all important documents, it says.

From BBC • Jan. 2, 2026

But toward the end, a federal immigration official she had met with said he needed Marques May to follow him so he could photocopy her passport, he recalled.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 3, 2025

Ellsberg asked his son if he’d like to help photocopy the Pentagon Papers.

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin

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