paper

Syllables: pa·per/ˈpeɪ̯.pə//ˈpeɪ̯.pəɹ/

paper noun: a sheet material typically used for writing on or printing on (or as a non-waterproof container), usually made by draining cellulose fibres from a suspension in water. Also the ellipsis of newspaper.

Image: Brandi Redd brandi1, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Noun

paper (countable and uncountable, plural papers)

A sheet material typically used for writing on or printing on (or as a non-waterproof container), usually made by draining cellulose fibres from a suspension in water.
- Draw on the paper! Not on the walls!
- The paper mill on the south side of town makes various grades of paper and employs hundreds of people.
An open hand (a handshape resembling a sheet of paper), that beats rock and loses to scissors. It loses to lizard and beats Spock in rock-paper-scissors-lizard-Spock.
A written document, generally shorter than a book; usually written as a school assignment or a government report.
- Near-synonym: report
- I can't go out tonight. I have a paper due tomorrow, and I need to finish it tonight.
A written document that reports scientific or academic research and is usually subjected to peer review before publication in a scientific journal (as a journal article or the manuscript for one) or in the proceedings of a scientific or academic meeting (such as a conference, workshop, or symposium).
- Their team published a paper in the leading journal of their field, and its widespread impact elevated the reputation of their university department.
- This paper surveys the research methods and approaches used in the multidisciplinary field of applied language studies or language education over the last fourty^([sic]) years. Drawing on insights gained in psycho- and sociolinguistics, educational linguistics and linguistic anthropology with...2014 January, Claire Kramsch, “Language and Culture”, in AILA Review, volume 27, number 5, John Benjamins, →DOI, →ISSN, page 30
(Hong-Kong, UK) A set of examination questions to be answered at one session.
(slang) Money.
(uncountable) Any financial assets other than specie, including paper money, commercial paper, and others.
- Why might not a Government annuity, the Principal of which was originally invested in Paper since the Cash suspension in 1797, be constituted the guarantee of Paper Money, emendating from that investiture and suspension, and the Parliament authority transferred to its security, as it has been to...1812, William Major, Theory of Money and Exchanges, page XV
- That great, rich institution,[…]has three millions and a half specie in its vaults, and nearly six millions invested in paper, loans, discounts, pledges—suddenly turned up the other day[…].1859, The Bankers' Magazine, and Statistical Register, volume 14, page 244
(New Zealand, countable) A university course.
- a paper in ology
- She's taking four papers this semester: two in psychology and two in sociology.
A paper packet containing a quantity of items.
- a paper of pins, tacks, opium, etc.
A medicinal preparation spread upon paper, intended for external application.
- cantharides paper
A substance resembling paper secreted by certain invertebrates as protection for their nests and eggs.
(dated) Free passes of admission to a theatre, etc.
(broadly, dated) The people admitted by free passes.

Adjective

paper (not comparable)

Made of paper.
- At twilight in the summer[…]the mice come out. They[…]eat the luncheon crumbs. Mr. Checkly, for instance, always brought his dinner in a paper parcel in his coat-tail pocket, and ate it when so disposed, sprinkling crumbs lavishly[…]on the floor.1892, Walter Besant, chapter II, in The Ivory Gate […], New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], →OCLC
Insubstantial (from the weakness of common paper).
- paper gangster
- 2016: Manila Standard, "Speed limiter law: A paper tiger"; Maricel Cruz
  Speed limiter law: A paper tiger
Planned (from plans being drawn up on paper).
- paper engine, rocket
- "We have to be able to demonstrate that it is not just a paper engine but a real engine" and that development work has "mitigated all the risk"., Dominic Perr, “Airbus Helicopters to begin Arrano tests for H160 shortly”, in Flight Global, archived from the original on 26 Apr 2025
Having a title that is merely official, or given by courtesy or convention.
- a paper lord

Verb

paper (third-person singular simple present papers, present participle papering, simple past and past participle papered)

(transitive) To apply paper to.
- to paper the hallway walls
(transitive) To document; to memorialize.
- After they reached an agreement, their staffs papered it up.
(transitive) To fill (a theatre or other paid event) with complimentary seats.
- Later, seat-filling or “papering” services cropped up, with organizations like Audience Extras, Play-by-Play,[…]2020 April 1, Kelly Kessler, Broadway in the Box: Television's Lasting Love Affair with the Musical, page 198
Synonyms:

paper the house
(transitive) To submit official papers to (a law court, etc.).
- As powerhouse lawyers shuttled to Cuba to meet clients and papered the federal courts with habeas corpus petitions, Guantanamo's isolation and lack of publicity, once the military's most powerful psychological weapon, was eliminated.2006, Drusilla Modjeska, The Best Australian Essays 2006
- […] the warning received only six weeks later for poor attendance as proof that the employer was unjustly papering his personnel file in an effort to create a reason for discharge.2007, Thomas M. Hanna, The Employer's Legal Advisor: Handling Problem Employees Effectively ...
(transitive) To give public notice (typically by displaying posters) that a person is wanted by the police or other authority.
(transitive) To sandpaper.
(transitive) To enfold in paper.
To paste the endpapers and flyleaves at the beginning and end of a book before fitting it into its covers.
(Northeastern, US) To cover someone's house with toilet paper. Otherwise known as toilet papering or TPing.

Also used as

paper is also the ellipsis of newspaper.

paper is also the ellipsis of wallpaper.

paper is also the ellipsis of wrapping paper.

paper meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu

paper in Hindi

sheet material: काग़ज़ kāġaz, कागज kāgaj, पन्ना pannā, कागद kāgad, पेपर pepar, वरक varak
written document shorter than a book — see also article: पत्र patra, दस्तावेज़ dastāvez, दस्तावेज dastāvej
academic paper — see also article, study, publication: शोध पत्र śodh patra
made of paper: काग़ज़ी kāġzī, कागजी kāgjī, वरकी varkī

paper in Tamil

sheet material: காகிதம் kākitam, பேப்பர் pēppar

paper in Marathi

sheet material: कागद kāgad
made of paper: कागदी kāgdī

paper in Urdu

sheet material: کاغَذ kāġaz

More languagesFewer languages

paper in Bengali: কাগজ kagoj
paper in Telugu: కాగితము kāgitamu, దస్తావేజు dastāvēju, కాగితపు kāgitapu
paper in Malayalam: കടലാസ് kaṭalāsŭ, പേപ്പർ pēppaṟ
paper in Kannada: ಕಾಗದ kāgada
paper in Punjabi: ਕਾਗ਼ਜ਼ kāġaz, ਪੇਪਰ pepar
paper in Gujarati: કાગળ kāgaḷ, કાગળિયું kāgaḷiyũ
paper in Odia: ପେପର୍ pepar, କାଗଜ kāgaja
paper in Sinhala: කඩදාසිය kaḍadāsiya
paper in Assamese: কাগজ kagoz, কাকত kakot, তুলাপাত tulapat
paper in Nepali: कागज kāgaj
paper in Pashto: کاغذ kāǧaz
paper in Tagalog: papel
paper in Arabic: وَرَق waraq, قِرْطَاس qirṭās, كَاغِد kāḡid, ورق wáraʔ
paper in Malay: kertas
paper in Indonesian: kertas, surat-surat, dokumen, karangan
paper in Persian: کَاغَذ kāġaz, کَاغِذ kāġiz, کاغَذ kâġaz, کاغِذ kâġez
paper in Thai: กระดาษ grà-dàat, บทความวิชาการ
paper in Vietnamese: giấy, bài văn, bằng giấy, trên giấy tờ
paper in Myanmar: စက္ကူ cakku
Sindhi: پنو panno, ڪاغذ kāġazu
Dhivehi: ކަރުދާސް karudās
Kashmiri: کاغَذ kāġaz, کاکَد kākad, کاکَذ kākaz

Examples of paper in a sentence

This paper surveys the research methods and approaches used in the multidisciplinary field of applied language studies or language education over the last fourty^([sic]) years.2014 January, Claire Kramsch, “Language and Culture”, in AILA Review, volume 27, number 5, John Benjamins, →DOI, →ISSN, page 30:
Paper after paper spells out how vulnerable we are to internet-induced brain rot.2024 December 9, Siân Boyle, “Is doom scrolling really rotting our brains? The evidence is getting harder to ignore”, in The Guardian...
She continued her university studies by taking a paper in psychology, which was taught principally by John Money, a strikingly handsome young junior lecturer.2002, Michael King, An Inward Sun: The World of Janet Frame, Penguin Books (New Zealand):
In 1938 he passed the final paper (in psychology) needed to complete his BA degree.2017 September 29, Terry Sturm, Simply by Sailing in a New Direction: Allen Curnow: A Biography, Auckland University Press, →ISBN:

All 40 example sentences with paper

Synonyms of paper

paper the house

Forms of paper

Noun
plural	papers
Verb
third-person singular present	papers
present participle	papering
past participle	papered
past	papered

Plural of paper: papers

Origin of paper

From Middle English paper, from Anglo-Norman paper, from Old Catalan paper, borrowed from Latin papȳrus (and given the Catalan suffix -er), from Ancient Greek πάπυρος (pápuros).

Words formed from paper

Phrases with paper

166 more phrasesFewer phrases

Words that rhyme with paper

3 more rhymesFewer rhymes

Questions about paper

What does paper mean?: Paper means a sheet material typically used for writing on or printing on (or as a non-waterproof container), usually made by draining cellulose fibres from a suspension in water.
What is paper in Hindi?: Paper in Hindi is काग़ज़ (kāġaz), कागज (kāgaj), पन्ना (pannā). See Paper meaning in Hindi.
How do you use paper in a sentence?: This paper surveys the research methods and approaches used in the multidisciplinary field of applied language studies or language education over the last fourty^([sic]) years.
What part of speech is paper?: Paper can be a noun, an adjective or a verb.
How do you pronounce paper?: Paper is pronounced /ˈpeɪ̯.pə/ (UK).
What is the plural of paper?: The plural of paper is papers.

Words near paper in the dictionary

Adapted from Wiktionary: paper (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: 2026-09-02

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-uk-paper.ogg, en-us-paper.ogg.

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