Xerox

American  

[zeer-oks] / ˈzɪər ɒks /

Trademark.

1. a brand name for a copying machine for reproducing printed, written, or pictorial matter by xerography.

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noun

1. (sometimes lowercase) a copy made on a xerographic copying machine.

verb (used with or without object)

1. (sometimes lowercase) to print or reproduce by xerography.

Xerox British  

/ ˈzɪərɒks /

noun

1. 1. a xerographic copying process

   2. a machine employing this process

   3. a copy produced by this process

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verb

1. to produce a copy of (a document, illustration, etc) by this process

Explanation

When you use a copy machine, you make a xerox. Some college classes require you to buy expensive textbooks, while others provide you with binders full of xeroxes. The word xerox is trademarked, kind of like Frisbee or Kleenex. The word was coined in the 1950s, from xerography, "printing without the use of liquid chemicals," which has a Greek root, xeros, "dry," and an ending borrowed from photography. You can use xerox as a noun or a verb: "You should xerox your ID and keep a copy of it on file in case you lose your wallet."

Example Sentences

“We view the current environment as an opportunity,” TPG Chief Executive Jon Winkelried said on the firm’s quarterly earnings call, citing deals such as a $450 million debt transaction with Xerox.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 13, 2026

The story began in April 1979, when Jobs offered Xerox a deal.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2026

At his urging, Jobs told Xerox that he would sell the giant corporation 100,000 private shares at $10.50 each in return for an invitation to PARC.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2026

McDermott applied that philosophy while serving in a sales role at Xerox, where he brought in more business than many of his peers.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 18, 2026

It infiltrated Xerox machines and worked its way inside personal computers and inside the cushions of chairs and fingered down into the floor drains until it touched pools of lingering bleach in the water traps.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston