Word.ws English Dictionary

on paper

on paper prepositional phrase: in writing, particularly handwritten or printed as opposed to digital.

Prepositional phrase

  1. In writing, particularly handwritten or printed as opposed to digital.
    • During the final exam, students are allowed to bring their computer science notes that are on paper.
  2. (figuratively) Based on debatable inference; in theory; by appearances only.
    • On paper they're perfect for each other, but it's been six months and their relationship is already on the rocks.
    • From those of the former generation who were in the fulness of age when I came into public life, which was while our controversy with England was on paper only, I soon saw that nothing was to be hoped.August 25, 1814, Thomas Jefferson, letter to Edward Coles
  3. (figuratively) Officially; de jure.
  4. (slang) Of a convicted criminal: on parole.
    • This means you can vote even if you are in jail or prison, or “on paper” (on probation, parole or extended supervision) for a misdemeanor.2024, ACLU Wisconsin, VOTING RIGHTS FOR PERSONS WITH CRIMINAL CONVICTIONS

on paper meaning in Malayalam and Kannada

on paper in Malayalam

in writing, in black and white, in print
കടലാസ്സിലുള്ള, എഴുതിവച്ച, രേഖപ്പെടുത്തിയ, രേഖാമൂലമായ, വ്യക്തമായി എഴുതിയ രൂപത്തിലുള്ള, അച്ചടിച്ച
in theory, theoretically, supposedly
സെെദ്ധാന്തികമായി, സിദ്ധാന്തപരമായി, ഊഹാപോഹപരമായി

on paper in Kannada

ಲಿಖಿತ ರೂಪದಲ್ಲಿ, ತಾತ್ವಿಕವಾಗಿ

Examples of on paper in a sentence

  • Hutchinson, the current champion at 50 miles, is on paper the fastest rider in the field for Sunday's eventJune 06, 2002, Graham Snowdon, The Telegraph:
  • Let's say there's a new kid in school, and on paper he should be killing it, but for some reason the other kids don't like him?2011 Allen Gregory, "Pilot" (season 1, episode 1)
  • Before 1914, coal was a true cash-cow, and on paper, the GWR looked to have hit the jackpot by being handed all the railways in the South Wales coal fields.2021 August 25, Richard Foster, “The rise and fall of railway's Big Four...”, in RAIL, number 938, page 55:

Questions about on paper

What does on paper mean?
On paper means in writing, particularly handwritten or printed as opposed to digital.
What is on paper in Malayalam?
On paper in Malayalam is കടലാസ്സിലുള്ള, എഴുതിവച്ച, രേഖപ്പെടുത്തിയ. See On paper meaning in Malayalam.
How do you use on paper in a sentence?
Hutchinson, the current champion at 50 miles, is on paper the fastest rider in the field for Sunday's event
What part of speech is on paper?
On paper is a prepositional phrase.

Words near on paper in the dictionary

  1. on ones
  2. on opposite sides of the barricades
  3. on or about
  4. on order
  5. on pain of
  6. on paper
  7. on par
  8. on parade
  9. on pins and needles
  10. on point
  11. on principle

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: on paper (page history and authors); on paper (Olam, E.K. Kurup corpus) (dataset and license); on paper (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-on paper.wav.

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