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wastepaper

American  
[weyst-pey-per] / ˈweɪstˌpeɪ pər /

noun

  1. paper thrown away as useless.


wastepaper British  
/ ˈweɪstˌpeɪpə /

noun

  1. paper discarded after use

"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 wastepaper

First recorded in 1575–85; waste + paper

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.

The accusation, based on a comparison of handwriting on a document found in the German's wastepaper basket in Paris, kicked off what would become known as the "Dreyfus affair".

From Barron's • Nov. 18, 2025

She said they were deployed to make good on her country’s recent threat to “scatter mounds of wastepaper and filth” in South Korea in response to the leafleting campaigns by South Korean activists.

From Seattle Times • May 30, 2024

Among the many kinds of trash that accumulate within a home, wastepaper is one of the most common.

From Science Daily • Dec. 14, 2023

Tossing a bottle of Vichy water into a wastepaper basket, he walks off into the night with Rick to join the anti-Vichy French forces of Gen. Charles de Gaulle.

From Washington Post • Nov. 17, 2021

I crumpled Dad’s note into a ball and practiced throwing it into the wastepaper basket from different positions in the kitchen.

From "Doing Time Online" by Jan Siebold