wallpaper

American  

[wawl-pey-per] / ˈwɔlˌpeɪ pər /

noun

1. paper, usually with printed decorative patterns in color, for pasting on and covering the walls or ceilings of rooms, hallways, etc.

2. any fabric, foil, vinyl material, etc., used as a wall or ceiling covering.

3. Computers. a design or picture in the background of the primary display screen of a graphical user interface.

   Personalize your tablet by changing the wallpaper.

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verb (used with object)

wallpapers, present (3rd person singular) wallpapered, past participle, past wallpapering present participle

1. to put wallpaper on (a wall, ceiling, etc.) or to furnish (a room, house, etc.) with wallpaper.

wallpaper British  

/ ˈwɔːlˌpeɪpə /

noun

1. paper usually printed or embossed with designs for pasting onto walls and ceilings

2. 1. something pleasant but bland which serves as an unobtrusive background

   2. ( as modifier )

      wallpaper music

3. computing a graphics file that can be displayed in certain applications behind or around the main dialogue boxes, working display areas, etc, for decoration

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verb

1. to cover (a surface) with wallpaper

Other Word Forms

Conjugated Forms

Present

• has wallpapered
  perfect 3rd person singular
• have wallpapered
  perfect
• is wallpapering
  progressive 3rd person singular
• are wallpapering
  progressive
• has been wallpapering
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• am wallpapering
  progressive 1st person singular
• wallpapers
  singular 3rd person
• wallpapering
  participle
• have been wallpapering
  perfect progressive

Past

• had wallpapered
  perfect
• were wallpapering
  progressive plural
• had been wallpapering
  perfect progressive
• was wallpapering
  progressive singular
• wallpapered
  simple
• wallpapered
  participle

Future

• will wallpaper
  simple
• will have wallpapered
  perfect
• will be wallpapering
  progressive
• will have been wallpapering
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of wallpaper

First recorded in 1820–30; wall + paper

Example Sentences

For more upscale dining, there is a beautiful formal dining room that features a large table, patterned floral wallpaper, and a unique spiked chandelier that hands at the center of the space.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 4, 2026

Hell isn’t fire and brimstone after all; it’s wallpaper, beige carpet and drop ceilings.

From Salon • May 30, 2026

Voltz Clarke staged an impressive booth whose lush wallpaper blended into the similarly adorned frames of Ruth Owens.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026

In the nine-minute short, a young cameraman falls into what appears to be an empty furniture store with an eerie atmosphere: a seemingly endless series of rooms covered in yellow wallpaper and buzzing fluorescent lights.

From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2026

There are flowers on the wallpaper and curtains, and the bed is covered with chenille.

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen