printer
Americannoun
-
printers
plural
-
a person or thing that prints, especially a person whose occupation is printing.
-
Computers. an output device that produces a paper copy of alphanumeric or graphic data.
-
an instrument that automatically records telegraphic messages by means of a printing mechanism activated by incoming signals.
-
Movies. a photographic machine through which either the negative or positive of a master print can be run, together with unexposed film, to make a duplicate.
noun
-
a person or business engaged in printing
-
a machine or device that prints
-
computing an output device for printing results on paper
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of printer
Explanation
A printer might be a person whose job is to make copies of printed material, or a machine that’s hooked up to a computer and prints on paper. With a 3D printer, you can even “print” a spatula! A 3D printer creates a replica of an image sent to it from a computer, whether it’s a car part or a spatula. Most people have the regular kind of printer, though, that they use to print things like essays or articles. Or, you might hire a printer to make your wedding invitations. The original printers, circa 1500, were people who operated a moveable type printing press (invented in 1450), printing books and other texts in small quantities.
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:
She has been called the “human printer” because she follows Trump with a portable printer to provide Trump with hard copies of flattering news coverage or information the computer-averse president requires.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026
Their method dramatically shortens the processing required after a restoration comes out of the printer.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 23, 2026
When you’re talking about this printer, there is no black and white.
From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2026
Harp has been dubbed the "human printer" -- thanks to her role carrying a portable machine to print out documents that Trump asks for.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
Most of these are things I don't have, but I can do my best with pens and paper and the printer Hannah and I share.
From "We Are Okay" by Nina LaCour
He declines to share details but the contraption will make square pan-style pies and that the machine is inspired by the way 3D printers work.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
Zebra Technologies, which makes bar code scanners and printers, concluded in the second quarter that it was likely to get a refund of all $73 million in past tariff payments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
If the bill passes, the state’s Department of Justice would publish a roster of compliant printers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026
McBride, Legacy’s 3-D lab manager, said those printers do not really exist.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026
In classical texts, it was used to mark dropped letters, as in t’cius for “tertius”; and when English printers adopted it, this was still its only function.
From "Eats, Shoots & Leaves" by Author
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.
