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paper trail
noun
: documents (such as financial records) from which a person's actions may be traced or opinions learned
Examples of paper trail in a Sentence
They covered up the fraud and were careful not to leave a paper trail.
Recent Examples on the Web
On Wednesday, in a letter to a Senate committee probing Boeing, the National Transportation Safety Board said its investigation has been held back by Boeing’s lack of a paper trail for key evidence.
—Angus Watson, CNN, 13 Mar. 2024
The service creates a paper trail visible to both the whistleblower and the business accused of misbehavior—but one that’s stored on third-party infrastructure to prevent it being doctored.
—Joel Khalili, WIRED, 26 Feb. 2024
Paleontologists have gone back to the original bones, as well as the dinosaur’s paper trail through the history of science, to reintroduce us to Megalosaurus as a bipedal predator that wandered along the Jurassic coastline.
—Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Feb. 2024
No paper trail, no damning soundbites; just a slogan crewneck.
—Mattie Kahn, Vogue, 22 Jan. 2024
But time and again, Bradford used her clout and legal skills behind the scenes to assist her pedophile uncle, according to a paper trail of letters and other legal records.
—Lewis Kamb, NBC News, 13 May 2023
Also, trading wildlife for Chinese chemicals reduces the paper trail and makes these activities harder to track.
—WSJ, 12 Dec. 2023
But a paper trail could be assigned to the wrong gem.
—Tim Barber, WIRED, 27 Nov. 2023
That compulsion to leave a paper trail has left him wide open to a less sympathetic appraiser like Copeland.
—Tarpley Hitt, The New Yorker, 16 Nov. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'paper trail.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1935, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near paper trail
Cite this Entry
“Paper trail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paper%20trail. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.
Kids Definition
paper trail
noun
: documents (as financial records or published materials) from which a person's actions may be traced or opinions learned
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