printer
Americannoun
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a person or thing that prints, especially a person whose occupation is printing.
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Computers. an output device that produces a paper copy of alphanumeric or graphic data.
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an instrument that automatically records telegraphic messages by means of a printing mechanism activated by incoming signals.
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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
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a person or business engaged in printing
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a machine or device that prints
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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:
They went through dozens of designs and sizes with help from a 3-D printer, before officially launching in September 2023.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
So spontaneously that it had not even been printed out, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio had to scramble to source a printer from within the grand palace.
From Barron's ● Jun. 19, 2026
Even the most extreme money printer is likely to concede that something which cannot continue forever, won’t.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 9, 2026
The plant makes tissues, printer paper, cups, plates, cartons, and other goods, according to CBS, the BBC's US partner.
From BBC ● May 26, 2026
There is a Juliet balcony off the bedroom, in one corner of which Moushumi sets up her desk, her computer and printer, her files.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
The printers, the bookshops, the guesthouses and taverns, they followed.
From Salon ● Jun. 23, 2026
Leone Hadavi, a senior investigator and weapons expert for the Centre for Information Resilience, said these commercial parts are also supplemented with components made using 3D printers.
From BBC ● May 16, 2026
Nicotine pouches, televisions, shoes, printers, data center cooling equipment, speakers and skin care cosmetics were among the goods recovered, according to a statement released by the Sheriff’s Department.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026
Subsequent sales and patrons have enabled the artist to invest in robotic welding arms, 3-D printers and other fabricating technology.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 27, 2026
Open boxes contain stacks of paper from old dot matrix printers, detailing the expenses and income of the Martin-Gale Mortgage Corp.
From "Paper Towns" by John Green
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.
