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Showing results for paper tiger.
Synonyms

paper tiger

American  

noun

  1. a person, group, nation, or thing that has the appearance of strength or power but is actually weak or ineffectual.

paper tiger British  

noun

  1. a nation, institution, etc, that appears powerful but is in fact weak or insignificant

"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

Etymology

Origin of paper tiger

First recorded in 1945–50

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.

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