1
a(1)
: a felted sheet of usually vegetable fibers laid down on a fine screen from a water suspension
(2)
: a similar sheet of other material (such as plastic)
b
: a piece of paper
2
a
: a piece of paper containing a written or printed statement : document
pedigree papers
b
: a piece of paper containing writing or print
c
: a formal written composition often designed for publication and often intended to be read aloud
presented a scholarly paper at the meeting
d
: a piece of written schoolwork
3
: a paper container or wrapper
4
5
: the negotiable notes or instruments of commerce
7
: tickets
especially
: free passes
8
papered; papering
ˈpā-p(ə-)riŋ 
1
archaic
: to put down or describe in writing
2
: to fold or enclose in paper
3
: to cover or line with paper
especially
: to apply wallpaper to
4
: to fill by giving out free passes
paper the theater for opening night
5
: to cover (an area) with advertising bills, circulars, or posters
: to hang wallpaper
1
a
: made of paper, cardboard, or papier-mâché
a paper bag
b
: papery
2
: of or relating to clerical work or written communication
3
: existing only in theory : nominal
a paper blockade
4
: admitted by free passes
a paper audience
5
: finished with a crisp smooth surface similar to that of paper
paper taffeta
Synonyms
Examples of paper in a Sentence
Noun
We'll need pens, glue, and some paper.
Be sure to print the letter on good paper.
He scribbled the number on a scrap of paper.
a crumpled piece of paper
The border guards asked to see my papers.
They published a landmark paper in 1995.
The teacher was busy grading papers.
She did well on her history paper.
Adjective
Their accounts showed lots of paper profits, but they went bankrupt anyway.
there's a paper boycott of that company's products that nobody seems to be honoring
Recent Examples on the Web
Issy Ronald, CNN, 13 Apr. 2024
The authors presented the paper to a research group there during an academic seminar last week.
—Lawrence Mower, Miami Herald, 12 Apr. 2024
Participants will be provided with loose pencils and paper, but are encouraged to bring their own drawing materials.
—Michael Charboneau, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
His letters to the women, preserved in both his papers and Claude-Anne Lopez’s Mon Cher Papa: Franklin and the Ladies of Paris, helped inspire their portrayals in the limited series.
—Vanessa Armstrong, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Apr. 2024
In the new paper, the team looked at their beaks and stylets–internal shells located near their gills.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 11 Apr. 2024
Here are some of the largest debts besides the $29 million Copia loan, according to the court papers:
Santa Clara County Assessor and Santa Clara County Tax Collector are owed about $699,516 in unpaid property taxes.
—George Avalos, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024
This ensures every part of the plant being used actually hits the paper.
—Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Apr. 2024
They are also easily distracted by the paper and pencil they are given to answer the questions, as these almost always lead to doodling.
—Wendy Ward, STAT, 10 Apr. 2024
Abe Beame, Rolling Stone, 7 Apr. 2024
The store had switched from an official payroll system to paper checks from Jones.
—Andrea Klick, Kansas City Star, 27 Feb. 2024
One wall of this room is papered corner to corner with magazine covers and newspaper articles about Benioff.
—Dara Kerr, NPR, 28 Feb. 2024
Then roll it lengthwise, into a long log, cut it in half, and put it in the buttered, papered bread pans to rise.
—Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 24 Dec. 2023
The skin sample, about the size of a fingernail and literally paper thin, is described in a study published on January 10 in the journal Current Biology, along with other fossil findings.
—Popular Science, 11 Jan. 2024
To the left of the hallway, past the dining room and kitchen, on the far side of the building’s hollow center, are the main bedroom and the two children’s rooms, in which the walls have been painted and papered with vibrant images of rainforest scenes.
—Nick Haramis Ricardo Labougle, New York Times, 30 Nov. 2023
The Balata camp, with its power lines sagging between concrete buildings and walls papered with posters of slain fighters, is a living monument to the community’s troubled history.
—Sufian Taha, Washington Post, 26 Nov. 2023
In her sterile room, Ms. Jaouad started to paint and papered her walls in vibrant, sometimes gruesome watercolor.
—Mattie Kahn, New York Times, 28 Nov. 2023
The Salt Lake Tribune, 24 Aug. 2022
Staples, clips and other non-paper materials must be removed.
—Shirley MacFarland, cleveland, 26 Aug. 2022
Some theater owners have told customers that certain sizes are available only in those non-paper options.
—Erich Schwartzel, WSJ, 31 May 2022
During 2020's surges, Kate O'Neill, a professor in the department of environmental science, policy and management at UC Berkeley, explained to CNN how non-paper condiment packets are nearly impossible to recycle.
—Wyatte Grantham-Philips, USA TODAY, 27 Sep. 2021
That means choosing cards without any non-paper embellishments like foil or ribbon.
—Kirby Adams, The Courier-Journal, 24 Nov. 2020
Noun
That’s equivalent to about four sheets of A4 or US letter-size paper.
—Issy Ronald, CNN, 13 Apr. 2024
The authors presented the paper to a research group there during an academic seminar last week.
—Lawrence Mower, Miami Herald, 12 Apr. 2024
Participants will be provided with loose pencils and paper, but are encouraged to bring their own drawing materials.
—Michael Charboneau, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
His letters to the women, preserved in both his papers and Claude-Anne Lopez’s Mon Cher Papa: Franklin and the Ladies of Paris, helped inspire their portrayals in the limited series.
—Vanessa Armstrong, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Apr. 2024
In the new paper, the team looked at their beaks and stylets–internal shells located near their gills.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 11 Apr. 2024
Here are some of the largest debts besides the $29 million Copia loan, according to the court papers:
Santa Clara County Assessor and Santa Clara County Tax Collector are owed about $699,516 in unpaid property taxes.
—George Avalos, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024
This ensures every part of the plant being used actually hits the paper.
—Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Apr. 2024
They are also easily distracted by the paper and pencil they are given to answer the questions, as these almost always lead to doodling.
—Wendy Ward, STAT, 10 Apr. 2024
Verb
For each game, this all-star squad would be ferried from the 40/40 Club to the park, then back to the 40/40 for an afterparty, in a bus papered with S. Carter sneaker ads.
—Abe Beame, Rolling Stone, 7 Apr. 2024
The store had switched from an official payroll system to paper checks from Jones.
—Andrea Klick, Kansas City Star, 27 Feb. 2024
One wall of this room is papered corner to corner with magazine covers and newspaper articles about Benioff.
—Dara Kerr, NPR, 28 Feb. 2024
Then roll it lengthwise, into a long log, cut it in half, and put it in the buttered, papered bread pans to rise.
—Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 24 Dec. 2023
The skin sample, about the size of a fingernail and literally paper thin, is described in a study published on January 10 in the journal Current Biology, along with other fossil findings.
—Popular Science, 11 Jan. 2024
To the left of the hallway, past the dining room and kitchen, on the far side of the building’s hollow center, are the main bedroom and the two children’s rooms, in which the walls have been painted and papered with vibrant images of rainforest scenes.
—Nick Haramis Ricardo Labougle, New York Times, 30 Nov. 2023
The Balata camp, with its power lines sagging between concrete buildings and walls papered with posters of slain fighters, is a living monument to the community’s troubled history.
—Sufian Taha, Washington Post, 26 Nov. 2023
In her sterile room, Ms. Jaouad started to paint and papered her walls in vibrant, sometimes gruesome watercolor.
—Mattie Kahn, New York Times, 28 Nov. 2023
Adjective
In the financial world, assets can be divided into two types: paper assets, and non-paper assets.
—The Salt Lake Tribune, 24 Aug. 2022
Staples, clips and other non-paper materials must be removed.
—Shirley MacFarland, cleveland, 26 Aug. 2022
Some theater owners have told customers that certain sizes are available only in those non-paper options.
—Erich Schwartzel, WSJ, 31 May 2022
During 2020's surges, Kate O'Neill, a professor in the department of environmental science, policy and management at UC Berkeley, explained to CNN how non-paper condiment packets are nearly impossible to recycle.
—Wyatte Grantham-Philips, USA TODAY, 27 Sep. 2021
That means choosing cards without any non-paper embellishments like foil or ribbon.
—Kirby Adams, The Courier-Journal, 24 Nov. 2020
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'paper.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near paper
Cite this Entry
“Paper.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paper. Accessed 17 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
paper
1 of 3 noun
pa·per
ˈpā-pər
paper
2 of 3 verb
papered; papering
ˈpā-p(ə-)riŋ
: to cover or line with paper and especially wallpaper
paper a room
paper
3 of 3 adjective1
a
: of, relating to, or made of paper or cardboard
paper carton
paper mills
b
: papery
nuts with paper shells
2
Etymology
Noun
Middle English papir "paper," from early French papier (same meaning), from Latin papyrus "paper, papyrus" — related to papyrus
Legal Definition
paper
noun
pa·per
1
: a piece of paper containing a written statement: as
a
: a formal written composition or document often intended for publication
the Federalist papers
b
: a document containing a statement of legal status, identity, authority, or ownership
—often used in pl. whether applying to one or more items
naturalization papers
this policy, including the endorsements and the attached papers—Mutual of Omaha
Mutual of Omaha
c
: a document (as an answer, motion, or brief) prepared in furtherance of a legal action
any paper after the complaint that is required to be served…must be filed within a reasonable time after service—Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 5(d)
Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 5(d)2
: a document providing evidence of a financial obligation
especially
: commercial paper in this entry
—
accommodation paper
: commercial paper used by one party to accommodate another party
—
bearer paper
: commercial paper that is freely negotiable by the holder and is made payable to bearer compare order paper in this entry
—
chattel paper
: paper that sets out both a buyer's obligation to repay and a lender's or a seller's security interest in the goods bought or that contains the provisions of a lease of the goods
—
commercial paper
: a usually negotiable instrument (as a note, draft, or certificate of deposit) arising out of a commercial transaction
specifically
: any of the instruments constituting the obligations of a business organization that are sold as investments
—
order paper
: commercial paper that is payable to order compare bearer paper in this entry
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