/ ˈpeɪpə(r); NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
FOR WRITING / WRAPPING
1.
[ U ] (often in compounds) the thin material that you write and draw on and that is also used for wrapping and packing things :
a piece / sheet of paper
a package wrapped in brown paper
recycled paper
She wrote her name and address on a slip (= a small piece) of paper .
Experience is more important for this job than paper qualifications (= that exist on paper, but may not have any real value) .
paper losses / profits (= that are shown in accounts but which may not exist in reality)
This journal is available in paper and electronic form.
—see also notepaper , wrapping paper , writing paper
NEWSPAPER
2.
[ C ] a newspaper :
a local / national paper
a daily / evening / Sunday paper
I read about it in the paper .
Have you seen today's paper?
The papers (= newspapers in general) soon got hold of the story.
DOCUMENTS
3.
papers [ pl. ] pieces of paper with writing on them, such as letters, pieces of work or private documents :
His desk was covered with books and papers.
4.
papers [ pl. ] official documents that prove your identity, give you permission to do sth, etc. :
divorce / identification papers
—see also walking papers , working paper
EXAM
5.
[ C ] ( BrE ) a set of exam questions on a particular subject; the answers that people write to the questions :
The Geography paper was hard.
She spent the evening marking exam papers.
ARTICLE
6.
[ C ] an academic article about a particular subject that is written by and for specialists :
a recent paper in the Journal of Medicine
She was invited to give a paper (= a talk) on the results of her research.
—see also Green Paper , Order Paper , position paper , White Paper , working paper (1)
7.
[ C ] ( NAmE ) a piece of written work done by a student :
Your grade will be based on four papers and a final exam.
—see also term paper
ON WALLS
8.
[ C , U ] paper that you use to cover and decorate the walls of a room :
The room was damp and the paper was peeling off.
HELP NOTE : There are many other compounds ending in paper . You will find them at their place in the alphabet.
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IDIOMS
- on paper
—more at pen noun , worth adjective
■ verb
[ vn ] to decorate the walls of a room by covering them with wallpaper
•
PHRASAL VERBS
- paper over sth
••
WORD ORIGIN
Middle English : from Anglo-Norman French papir , from Latin papyrus paper-reed, from Greek papuros The verb dates from the late 16th cent.