paper
gb/pˈeɪpɚ/ us/pˈeɪpɚ/
A1
English
~ 500
Senses
0 senses
Noun
A1
entity
1
thin material for writing/printing
Thin material made from wood, used for writing or printing.
Usage pattern:
[someone] writes [something] on paper
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'a paper' (meaning a newspaper or academic article) with 'paper' as a material. The article 'a' is not used when talking about the material in general.
Synonyms
sheet (Refers to a single piece of paper, not the material in general.)
Antonyms
digital document (Refers to an electronic file instead of a physical sheet.)
Collocations
sheet of paper
|piece of paper
|scrap of paper
|roll of paper
|paper bag
Themes
daily life
|education
|communication
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She wrote her phone number on a piece of paper.
- Please hand in your answers on lined paper.
- I folded the paper into the shape of a crane.
- The printer is out of paper again.
- He tore the paper into small pieces.
Learner examples
- I read the words on the paper.
- Please give me a piece of paper.
- She draws pictures on paper.
- We need more paper for the printer.
Noun
A2
entity
2
printed news publication
A printed booklet with news and stories, usually sold daily or weekly.
Usage pattern:
read [a/the] paper
Common mistake:
Learners may incorrectly think 'paper' always means the material; here it means a newspaper.
Synonyms
newspaper (The standard term; 'paper' is a shorter, informal version.)
Antonyms
online news site (Provides news digitally rather than in printed form.)
Collocations
daily paper
|local paper
|national paper
|read the paper
Themes
media
|communication
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- He reads the paper every morning with his coffee.
- The local paper covered the story in detail.
- I saw your photo in the paper yesterday.
Learner examples
- I buy the paper every Sunday.
- My father reads the paper in the morning.
- The paper has a story about the mayor.
Noun
B1
entity
3
written work or essay/report
A piece of writing about one subject, often for school or work.
Usage pattern:
write [a] paper on [topic]
Common mistake:
Learners might confuse 'paper' here with the physical material; here it refers to the content of written work.
Synonyms
essay (Usually shorter and less formal than many academic papers.)
Antonyms
oral presentation (A spoken delivery of information rather than a written one.)
Collocations
research paper
|term paper
|academic paper
|conference paper
Themes
education
|academia
|work
|communication
Examples
- She submitted her research paper to the journal.
- I have to write a ten-page paper on climate change.
- His paper on ancient history won an award.
Learner examples
- I wrote a paper about animals.
- She is reading a paper for school.
- He gave his teacher a paper about space.
Verb
B2
action
4
cover surface with paper/wallpaper
To put wallpaper or other paper on walls or surfaces.
Usage pattern:
paper [a wall/a room]
Common mistake:
Learners may think this verb means to write on something with paper; it actually means to cover a surface with it.
Synonyms
wallpaper (Specifically means to cover walls with wallpaper; 'paper' is broader but often used this way.)
Antonyms
strip wallpaper (To remove wallpaper from a surface.)
Collocations
paper the walls
|paper over cracks
Themes
home
|decoration
|housing
|daily_life
Examples
- They decided to paper the living room before moving in.
- She spent the weekend papering over the old paint.
- The decorator will paper the hallway tomorrow.
Learner examples
- We will paper the bedroom walls.
- He wants to paper over the kitchen walls.
- They will paper the small room next week.
Grammar
Dictionary form
paper
IPA
GB/pˈeɪpɚ/
US/pˈeɪpɚ/
Syllables & stress
pa - per (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (pa)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: paper
- Plural: paper, papers
Verb
- Base: paper
- 3rd Person Singular: papers
- Present Participle: papering
- Past: papered
Word family
Expressions
not worth the paper it's printed on
3/nˈɑt wˈɚθ ðə pˈeɪpɚ ˈɪts pɹˈɪntɪd ˈɔn/
idiom
informal
worthless despite being written down
Used to say that something written has no value or meaning.
Examples
- That contract isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on.
- His promise is not worth the paper it’s printed on.
paper over the cracks
4/pˈeɪpɚ ˈoʊvɚ ðə kɹˈæks/
idiom
hide problems temporarily
To try to hide problems instead of fixing them properly.
Examples
- The agreement just papers over the cracks in their relationship.
- They tried to paper over the cracks by blaming others.
push papers
6/pˈʊʃ pˈeɪpɚz/
idiom
informal
do routine office paperwork
To do boring office work that involves handling documents.
Examples
- He didn’t join the army to push papers all day.
- She’s tired of pushing papers and wants a more active job.
white paper
5/wˈaɪt pˈeɪpɚ/
fixed phrase
formal
official policy report/proposal document
An official document that explains a plan or policy in detail.
Examples
- The government released a white paper on climate change policy.
- The company published a white paper to outline its new strategy.
on paper
1/ˈɔn pˈeɪpɚ/
fixed phrase
informal
good in theory, maybe not in fact
Looking good or correct when you read about it or plan it, but maybe not working well in real life.
Examples
- The team looks unbeatable on paper, but they keep losing games.
- On paper, the project made sense, yet it failed in practice.
- The job sounded perfect on paper, but the reality was disappointing.
on paper
2/ˈɔn pˈeɪpɚ/
fixed phrase
in written form only
In writing, but not necessarily true in real life.
Examples
- On paper, the plan looks perfect, but it may not work in practice.
- He seems qualified on paper, but he lacks experience.