paper
thin material for writing/printing
Thin material made from wood, used for writing or printing.
[someone] writes [something] on paper
- 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.
- 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.
printed news publication
A printed booklet with news and stories, usually sold daily or weekly.
read [a/the] paper
- 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.
- I buy the paper every Sunday.
- My father reads the paper in the morning.
- The paper has a story about the mayor.
written work or essay/report
A piece of writing about one subject, often for school or work.
write [a] paper on [topic]
- 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.
- I wrote a paper about animals.
- She is reading a paper for school.
- He gave his teacher a paper about space.
cover surface with paper/wallpaper
To put wallpaper or other paper on walls or surfaces.
paper [a wall/a room]
- 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.
- We will paper the bedroom walls.
- He wants to paper over the kitchen walls.
- They will paper the small room next week.
- Base: paper
- Plural: paper, papers
- Base: paper
- 3rd Person Singular: papers
- Present Participle: papering
- Past: papered
not worth the paper it's printed on
3worthless despite being written down
Used to say that something written has no value or meaning.
- 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
4hide problems temporarily
To try to hide problems instead of fixing them properly.
- The agreement just papers over the cracks in their relationship.
- They tried to paper over the cracks by blaming others.
push papers
6do routine office paperwork
To do boring office work that involves handling documents.
- 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
5official policy report/proposal document
An official document that explains a plan or policy in detail.
- The government released a white paper on climate change policy.
- The company published a white paper to outline its new strategy.
on paper
1good 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.
- 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
2in written form only
In writing, but not necessarily true in real life.
- On paper, the plan looks perfect, but it may not work in practice.
- He seems qualified on paper, but he lacks experience.