term paper

American  

noun

term papers plural

1. a long essay, report, or the like, written by a student as an assignment over the course of a term or semester.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• term papers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of term paper

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

Just as AI is useful for lazy students who don’t want to write that term paper, it’s an unnatural boon for a narcissistic con man.

From Salon • May 23, 2026

Shortly before he allegedly opened fire outside the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, he emailed a document to family members that read like a term paper, including a “rebuttals to objections” section.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2026

Later, she is assigned to collaborate on a guidebook and write a term paper.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026

Any undergraduate who scribbled such gibberish in a history or poli-sci term paper would be advised to switch majors.

From Slate • Dec. 8, 2025

Then Joe would go home and find his seventh grader on the World Wide Web researching a term paper, using open protocols, and looking at the holdings of some art museum in France.

From "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman