Meaning

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..

Definitions by Sense

1. 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.
2. Ellipsis of newspaper; anything used as such (such as a newsletter or listing magazine).
3. (uncountable) Ellipsis of wallpaper.
4. (uncountable) Ellipsis of wrapping paper.
5. (rock paper scissors) 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.
6. A written document, generally shorter than a book; usually written as a school assignment or a government report.
7. 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).
8. (British, Hong Kong) A set of examination questions to be answered at one session.

Example Sentences

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.

He looked round the poor room, at the distempered walls, and the bad engravings in meretricious frames, the crinkly paper and wax flowers on the chiffonier; and he thought of a room like Father Bryan's, with panelling, with cut glass, with tulips in silver pots, such a room as he had hoped to have for his own.

Read all about it in this morning's paper!

In those days, the Reporter Dispatch was the paper of record around here, and everyone who was anyone took the paper [was a subscriber].

"I don't want to spoil any comparison you are going to make," said Jim, "but I was at Winchester and New College." ¶ "That will do," said Mackenzie. "I was dragged up at the workhouse school till I was twelve. Then I ran away and sold papers in the streets, and anything else that I could pick up a few coppers by—except steal.[…]."

“Anthea hasn't a notion in her head but to vamp a lot of silly mugwumps. She's set her heart on that tennis bloke[…]whom the papers are making such a fuss about.”

However, Anyon Kay remembers a Mr Walton Ainsworth, of Beech House, Rivington, who owned mills in Bolton, being a regular user before the First World War. He used to drive by horse and trap from his mansion to catch the 0906 train to Bolton each day. Before arriving at the station, local newsagent Tom Dutton would hand Mr Ainsworth his morning paper!

Word Forms

• papers
• papering
• papered

Synonyms for paper

Related Words

When Should You Use Paper?

Use paper when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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