Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Popular Searches
Synonyms
Nearby Words

on paper

 - 7 dictionary results

pa⋅per

  [pey-per]
Use on paper in a Sentence
–noun
1. a substance made from wood pulp, rags, straw, or other fibrous material, usually in thin sheets, used to bear writing or printing, for wrapping things, etc.
2. a piece, sheet, or leaf of this.
3. something resembling this substance, as papyrus.
4. a written or printed document or the like.
5. stationery; writing paper.
6. a newspaper or journal.
7. an essay, article, or dissertation on a particular topic: a paper on early Mayan artifacts.
8. Often, papers. a document establishing or verifying identity, status, or the like: citizenship papers.
9. negotiable notes, bills, etc., as commercial paper or paper money: Only silver, please, no paper.
10. a promissory note.
11. papers,
a. Nautical. ship's papers.
b. rolling paper.
12. wallpaper.
13. toilet paper.
14. a sheet or card of paper with pins or needles stuck through it in rows.
15. a set of questions for an examination, an individual set of written answers to them, or any written piece of schoolwork.
16. Slang. a free pass to an entertainment.
–verb (used with object)
17. to cover with wallpaper or apply wallpaper to: They papered the bedroom last summer.
18. to line or cover with paper.
19. to distribute handbills, posters, etc., throughout: to paper a neighborhood with campaign literature.
20. to fold, enclose, or wrap in paper.
21. to supply with paper.
22. Informal. to deluge with documents, esp. those requiring one to comply with certain technical procedures, as a means of legal harassment: He papered the plaintiff to force a settlement.
23. Slang. to fill (a theater or the like) with spectators by giving away free tickets or passes.
24. Archaic.
a. to write or set down on paper.
b. to describe in writing.
–verb (used without object)
25. to apply wallpaper to walls.
–adjective
26. made of paper or paperlike material: a paper bag.
27. paperlike; thin, flimsy, or frail.
28. of, pertaining to, or noting routine clerical duties.
29. pertaining to or carried on by means of letters, articles, books, etc.: a paper war.
30. written or printed on paper.
31. existing in theory or principle only and not in reality: paper profits.
32. indicating the first event of a series, as a wedding anniversary.
33. Slang. including many patrons admitted on free passes, as an audience for a theatrical performance: It's a paper house tonight.
—Verb phrase
34. paper over, to patch up or attempt to conceal (a difference, disagreement, etc.) so as to preserve a friendship, present a unified opinion, etc.: to paper over a dispute.
—Idiom
35. on paper,
a. in written or printed form.
b. in theory rather than in practice.
c. existing only in a preliminary state; in a plan or design: The university building program is still only on paper.
Origin:
1325–75; ME papire < L papȳrus papyrus

Related forms:
pa⋅per⋅less, adjective
pa⋅per⋅like, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To on paper
pa·per   (pā'pər)   
n.  

  1. A material made of cellulose pulp, derived mainly from wood, rags, and certain grasses, processed into flexible sheets or rolls by deposit from an aqueous suspension, and used chiefly for writing, printing, drawing, wrapping, and covering walls.

  2. A single sheet of this material.

  3. One or more sheets of paper bearing writing or printing, especially:

    1. A formal written composition intended to be published, presented, or read aloud; a scholarly essay or treatise.

    2. A piece of written work for school; a report or theme.

    3. An official document, especially one establishing the identity of the bearer. Often used in the plural.

    4. A free pass to a theater.

    5. The audience admitted with free passes.

  4. papers A collection of letters, diaries, and other writings, especially by one person: the Madison papers.

  5. Commercial documents that represent value and can be transferred from owner to owner; negotiable instruments considered as a group: "billions more invested in American stocks, bonds, certificates of deposit, and other paper" (Christian Science Monitor).

  6. A newspaper.

  7. Wallpaper.

  8. A wrapper made of paper, often with its contents: a paper of pins.

  9. Slang

    1. A free pass to a theater.

    2. The audience admitted with free passes.

tr.v.   pa·pered, pa·per·ing, pa·pers

  1. To cover, wrap, or line with paper.

  2. To cover with wallpaper.

  3. To supply with paper.

  4. Slang To issue free passes for (a theater, for example).

  5. To construct (something) in haste and with little forethought: papered together a new coalition of political convenience.

adj.  

  1. Made of paper.

  2. Resembling paper, as in thinness or flimsiness.

  3. Of or relating to clerical work: paper duties.

    1. Existing only in printed or written form: paper profits; a paper corporation.

    2. Planned but not realized; theoretical.

Phrasal Verb(s):
paper over

  1. To put or keep out of sight; conceal: paper over a deficit with accounting gimmicks.

  2. To downplay or gloss over (differences, for example), especially in order to maintain a nominal, apparent, or temporary unity.


Idiom(s):
in paperWith a paperback binding; as a paperback.

Idiom(s):
on paper

  1. In writing or print.

  2. In theory, as opposed to actual performance or fact: It is a good team on paper, but its members play poorly together.


[Middle English, from Old French papier, from Latin papȳrus, papyrus plant, papyrus paper, from Greek papūros.]
pa'per·er n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Slang Dictionary
paper

  1. n.
    a written document; written evidence supporting something. (Often with some.) : Send me some paper. Let's make this official.
  2. n.
    a forged check. (See also paper-pusher; paper-hanger.) : She was arrested for passing paper.
  3. n.
    money. : You don't get the goods till I get the paper.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

paper 
1341, from Anglo-Fr. paper, from O.Fr. papier, from L. papyrus "paper, paper made of papyrus stalks" (see papyrus). As shortened form of newspaper, first attested 1642. In plural, "collection of papers to establish one's identity, credentials, etc.," it is attested from 1685. The verb meaning "to decorate a room with paper hangings" is attested from 1774. Paperback is from 1899. Paperless is attested from 1971. Paper chase is British slang from 1932. Paper tiger (1952) translates Chinese tsuh lao fu, popularized by Mao Zedong.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Financial Dictionary

paper

A short-term unsecured note. This is generally used interchangeably with the term commercial paper.

Wall Street Words: An A to Z Guide to Investment Terms by David L. Scott.
Copyright © 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: pa·per
Function: noun
1 : a piece of paper containing a written statement: as a : a formal written composition or document often intended for publication papers> b : a document containing a statement of legal status, identity, authority, or ownership —often used in pl. whether applying to one or more items papers> papers —Mutual of Omaha> c : a document (as an answer, motion, or brief) prepared in furtherance of a legal action papers after the complaint required to be served upon a party shall be filed with the court —Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 5(d)>
2 : a document providing evidence of a financial obligation; especially : COMMERCIAL PAPER in this entry
accommodation paper
: commercial paper used by one party to accommodate another party
bearer paper
: commercial paper that is freely negotiable by the holder and is made payable to bearer —compare ORDER PAPER in this entry
chattel paper
: paper that sets out both a buyer's obligation to repay and a lender's or a seller's security interest in the goods bought or that contains the provisions of a lease of the goods
commercial paper
: a usually negotiable instrument (as a note, draft, or certificate of deposit) arising out of a commercial transaction; specifically : any of the instruments constituting the obligations of a business organization that are sold as investments
order paper
: commercial paper that is payable to order —compare BEARER PAPER in this entry—on paper : figured at face value
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source
Idioms & Phrases

on paper

In theory, hypothetically, as in Considering casualties, on paper the Americans won the Vietnam War, or They are a good team on paper but not so in the field. This metaphoric expression contrasts something written down with concrete reality. [Late 1700s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see on paper on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way