paper

/ˈpeɪpər/

/ˈpeɪpə/

Other forms: papers; papered; papering

Paper is the thin, flexible material you doodle on during math class. It's also paper that you fold carefully into the shape of an airplane before launching it across the classroom.

If you've ever ripped a sheet of paper or crumpled one into a ball, it might be hard to believe that it comes from trees — wood pulp, to be exact. The history of paper is long, dating as far back as the second century BCE in China. Paper can also mean "newspaper," or "essay," and as a verb it means "cover with paper." You might, for example, decide to paper your bedroom walls with colorful pieces of paper.

Definitions of paper

1. noun

   a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
   types:

   card

   one of a set of small pieces of stiff paper marked in various ways and used for playing games or for telling fortunes

   confetti

   small pieces or streamers of colored paper that are thrown around on festive occasions (as at a wedding)

   piece of paper, sheet, sheet of paper

   paper used for writing or printing

   art paper

   a high-quality paper (usually having a filler of china clay)

   blotter, blotting paper

   absorbent paper used to dry ink

   blueprint paper

   sensitized paper used to make blueprints

   carbon, carbon paper

   a thin paper coated on one side with a dark waxy substance (often containing carbon); used to transfer characters from the original to an under sheet of paper

   cardboard, composition board

   a stiff moderately thick paper

   cartridge paper

   paper for making cartridge cases

   chad

   a small piece of paper that is supposed to be removed when a hole is punched in a card or paper tape

   computer paper

   paper folded to permit continuous printing controlled by a computer

   construction paper

   paper suitable for drawing and making cutouts

   crepe, crepe paper

   paper with a crinkled texture; usually colored and used for decorations

   drawing paper

   paper that is specially prepared for use in drafting

   filter paper

   a porous unsized paper used for filtering

   flypaper

   paper that is poisoned or coated with a sticky substance to kill flies

   graph paper

   paper that has lines to permit drawing graphs

   greaseproof paper

   paper that is impermeable to oil or grease; used in cooking

   linen, linen paper

   a high-quality paper made of linen fibers or with a linen finish

   litmus paper

   unsized paper treated with litmus for use as an acid-base indicator

   manifold, manifold paper

   a lightweight paper used with carbon paper to make multiple copies

   manila, manila paper, manilla, manilla paper

   a strong paper or thin cardboard with a smooth light brown finish made from e.g. Manila hemp

   music paper, score paper

   paper with lines appropriate for writing music

   newspaper, newsprint

   cheap paper made from wood pulp and used for printing newspapers

   oilpaper

   paper that has been made translucent and waterproof by soaking in oil

   india paper

   a thin tough opaque paper used in fine books

   pad, pad of paper, tablet

   a number of sheets of paper fastened together along one edge

   paper tape

   a long narrow strip of paper

   paper toweling

   absorbent paper used as toweling

   paper-mache, papier-mache

   a substance made from paper pulp that can be molded when wet and painted when dry

   papyrus

   paper made from the papyrus plant by cutting it in strips and pressing it flat; used by ancient Egyptians and Greeks and Romans

   parchment

   a superior paper resembling sheepskin

   rice paper

   a thin delicate material resembling paper; made from the rice-paper tree

   roofing paper, tar paper

   a heavy paper impregnated with tar and used as part of a roof for waterproofing

   ticker tape

   a continuous thin ribbon of paper on which stock quotes are written

   tissue, tissue paper

   a soft thin (usually translucent) paper

   tracing paper

   a semitransparent paper that is used for tracing drawings

   transfer paper

   a paper that is coated with a preparation for transferring a design to another surface

   wallpaper

   a decorative paper for the walls of rooms

   waste paper

   paper discarded after use

   wax paper

   paper that has been waterproofed by treatment with wax or paraffin

   wrapping paper

   a tough paper used for wrapping

   writing paper

   paper material made into thin sheets that are sized to take ink; used for writing correspondence and manuscripts

   decal, decalcomania

   either a design that is fixed to some surface or a paper bearing the design which is to be transferred to the surface

   playing card

   one of a pack of cards that are used to play card games

   Hollerith card, punch card, punched card

   a card on which data can be recorded in the form of punched holes

   slip, slip of paper

   a small sheet of paper

   tarot, tarot card

   any of a set of (usually 72) cards that include 22 cards representing virtues and vices and death and fortune etc.; used by fortunetellers

   trading card

   a card with a picture on it; collected and traded by children

   signature

   a sheet with several pages printed on it; it folds to page size and is bound with other signatures to form a book

   folio, leaf

   a sheet of any written or printed material (especially in a manuscript or book)

   tear sheet

   a sheet that can be easily torn out of a publication

   letter paper, stationery

   paper cut to an appropriate size for writing letters; usually with matching envelopes

   notepaper

   writing paper intended for writing short notes or letters

   foolscap

   a size of paper used especially in Britain

   style sheet

   a sheet summarizing the editorial conventions to be followed in preparing text for publication

   worksheet

   a sheet of paper with multiple columns; used by an accountant to assemble figures for financial statements

   revenue stamp, stamp

   a small piece of adhesive paper that is put on an object to show that a government tax has been paid

   rag paper

   paper made partly or wholly from rags

   binder board, binder's board

   a cardboard used by bookbinders to make covers for books

   bond, bond paper

   a superior quality of strong durable white writing paper; originally made for printing documents

   cartridge paper

   thick white paper for pencil and ink drawings

   card

   thin cardboard, usually rectangular

   corrugated board, corrugated cardboard

   cardboard with corrugations (can be glued to flat cardboard on one or both sides)

   paperboard, poster board, posterboard

   a cardboard suitable for making posters

   pasteboard

   stiff cardboard made by pasting together layers of paper

   strawboard

   a coarse yellow cardboard made of straw pulp

   cigarette paper, rolling paper

   a strong tissue paper that burns evenly and is sufficiently porous to control the burning of the tobacco in a cigarette

   dimple, dimpled chad, pregnant chad

   a chad that has been punched or dimpled but all four corners are still attached

   facial tissue

   tissue paper suitable for use on the face

   kraft, kraft paper

   strong wrapping paper made from pulp processed with a sulfur solution

   butcher paper

   a strong wrapping paper that resists penetration by blood or meat fluids

   gift wrap

   attractive wrapping paper suitable for wrapping gifts

   hanging chad

   a chad that is incompletely removed and hanging by one corner

   Kleenex

   a piece of soft absorbent paper (usually two or more thin layers) used as a disposable handkerchief

   ledger paper

   a durable writing paper used in record books and business ledgers

   laid paper

   writing paper having a watermark of fine lines running across the grain

   wove paper

   writing paper having a very faint mesh pattern

   letter paper

   writing paper for use in writing correspondence

   message pad, writing pad

   a pad of paper on which messages can be written

   ola, olla

   leaf or strip from a leaf of the talipot palm used in India for writing paper

   notepad

   a pad of paper for keeping notes

   swinging chad

   a chad that is incompletely removed and still attached at two corners

   bathroom tissue, toilet paper, toilet tissue

   a soft thin absorbent paper for use in toilets

   tri-chad

   a chad that is incompletely removed and still attached at three corners

   typewriter paper, typing paper

   writing paper suitable for use in a typewriter

   vellum

   a heavy creamy-colored paper resembling parchment

   type of:

   material, stuff

   the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object
2. noun

   a medium for written communication
   “the notion of an office running without paper is absurd”

   type of:

   medium

   a means or instrumentality for storing or communicating information
3. verb

   cover with paper
   “paper the box”

   type of:

   cover

   provide with a covering or cause to be covered
4. verb

   cover with wallpaper
   synonyms: wallpaper

   type of:

   cover

   provide with a covering or cause to be covered
5. noun

   an essay (especially one written as an assignment)
   synonyms: composition, report, theme

   types:

   term paper

   a composition intended to indicate a student's progress during a school term

   type of:

   essay

   an analytic or interpretive literary composition
6. noun

   a scholarly article describing the results of observations or stating hypotheses
   “he has written many scientific papers”

   type of:

   article

   nonfictional prose forming an independent part of a publication
7. noun

   a daily or weekly publication on folded sheets; contains news and articles and advertisements
   synonyms: newspaper

   types:

   daily

   a newspaper that is published every day

   gazette

   a newspaper or official journal

   school newspaper, school paper

   a newspaper written and published by students in a school

   rag, sheet, tabloid

   newspaper with half-size pages

   type of:

   press, public press

   the print media responsible for gathering and publishing news in the form of newspapers or magazines
8. noun

   the physical object that is the product of a newspaper publisher
   synonyms: newspaper

   type of:

   product, production

   an artifact that has been created by someone or some process
9. noun

   a business firm that publishes newspapers
   synonyms: newspaper, newspaper publisher

   type of:

   publisher, publishing company, publishing firm, publishing house

   a firm in the publishing business