Word.ws English Dictionary

carbon copy

carbon copy noun: a copy produced in an alternated stack of ordinary sheets of paper and carbon papers. The pressure applied on the top sheet (by a pen or typewriter) causes every carbon paper to release its carbon cover, thus reproducing the writing on the subjacent layers of paper.

Noun

carbon copy (plural carbon copies)

  1. A copy produced in an alternated stack of ordinary sheets of paper and carbon papers. The pressure applied on the top sheet (by a pen or typewriter) causes every carbon paper to release its carbon cover, thus reproducing the writing on the subjacent layers of paper.
    • In preparing the contract, we'll make a carbon copy for our records.
    Synonyms:
    cc
  2. (broadly) A duplicate or lookalike.
    • This new home is simply a carbon copy of the one down the street.
    • Now, I’m not saying Hollie [Ford] is Alix [Earle]’s carbon copy, but the visual similarities—namely the blonde hair and blue eyes—are absolutely there[.]2026 April 18, Starr Bowenbank, “Um, Braxton Berrios Was Spotted on a Date With a Model Who *Kinda* Looks Like Alix Earle”, in Cosmopolitan
  3. (Internet) A duplicate copy of an email.

Verb

carbon copy (third-person singular simple present carbon copies, present participle carbon copying, simple past and past participle carbon copied)

  1. (transitive) To create a carbon copy of.
    • Please carbon copy this contract for our records.
  2. (Internet) To send a duplicate copy of an email to.
    Synonyms:
    cc

carbon copy meaning in Tamil, Kannada, Tagalog and Vietnamese

carbon copy in Tamil

தட்டச்சுப் படி, படியெடுத்த தாள்

carbon copy in Kannada

ಕಾರ್ಬನ್ ಪ್ರತಿ, ನಕಲು

carbon copy in Tagalog

a copy
siping karbon

carbon copy in Vietnamese

duplicate
bản sao
a copy
bản sao
to create a carbon copy of
nhân bản, tạo bản sao
cc (email)
đồng gửi, đồng gởi

Synonyms of carbon copy

Forms of carbon copy

Noun
pluralcarbon copies
alternative formcarbon-copy
Verb
third-person singular presentcarbon copies
present participlecarbon copying
past participlecarbon copied
pastcarbon copied

Words formed from carbon copy

Questions about carbon copy

What does carbon copy mean?
Carbon copy means a copy produced in an alternated stack of ordinary sheets of paper and carbon papers. The pressure applied on the top sheet (by a pen or typewriter) causes every carbon paper to release its carbon cover, thus reproducing the writing on the subjacent layers of paper.
What is carbon copy in Tamil?
Carbon copy in Tamil is தட்டச்சுப் படி, படியெடுத்த தாள். See Carbon copy meaning in Tamil.
What part of speech is carbon copy?
Carbon copy can be a noun or a verb.
What is the plural of carbon copy?
The plural of carbon copy is carbon copies.

Words near carbon copy in the dictionary

  1. carbon chauvinist
  2. carbon chauvinists
  3. carbon chloride
  4. carbon copied
  5. carbon copies
  6. carbon copy
  7. carbon copying
  8. carbon cost
  9. carbon costs
  10. Carbon County
  11. carbon credit

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: carbon copy (page history and authors); carbon copy (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); carbon copy (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-carbon copy.wav.

Cite this entry: “carbon copy.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/carbon_copy. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.