Definition of "paper" in Anglais

noun

A sheet material typically used for writing on or printing on (or as a non-waterproof container), usually made by draining cellulose fibres from a suspension in water.
- Draw on the paper! Not on the walls!
- The paper mill on the south side of town makes various grades of paper and employs hundreds of people.
Ellipsis of newspaper; anything used as such (such as a newsletter or listing magazine).
- Read all about it in this morning's paper!
- In those days, the Reporter Dispatch was the paper of record around here, and everyone who was anyone took the paper [was a subscriber].
(uncountable) Ellipsis of wallpaper.
- The paperhangers had just finished hanging the paper in the dining room when the interior decorator walked in and exclaimed that it was the wrong color.
(uncountable) Ellipsis of wrapping paper.
- In those days, you asked the butcher for a block of cheese, and he wrapped it up in paper for you.
- The kids could hardly wait to tear the paper off their Christmas gifts.
(rock paper scissors) An open hand (a handshape resembling a sheet of paper), that beats rock and loses to scissors. It loses to lizard and beats Spock in rock-paper-scissors-lizard-Spock.
A written document, generally shorter than a book; usually written as a school assignment or a government report.
- Near-synonym: report
- I can't go out tonight. I have a paper due tomorrow, and I need to finish it tonight.
A written document that reports scientific or academic research and is usually subjected to peer review before publication in a scientific journal (as a journal article or the manuscript for one) or in the proceedings of a scientific or academic meeting (such as a conference, workshop, or symposium).
- Their team published a paper in the leading journal of their field, and its widespread impact elevated the reputation of their university department.
(British, Hong Kong) A set of examination questions to be answered at one session.
(slang) Money.
(finance, uncountable) Any financial assets other than specie, including paper money, commercial paper, and others.
(New Zealand, countable or uncountable) A university course.
- a paper in ology
- She's taking four papers this semester: two in psychology and two in sociology.
A paper packet containing a quantity of items.

adjective

Made of paper.
Insubstantial (from the weakness of common paper)
- paper gangster
- 2016: Manila Standard, "Speed limiter law: A paper tiger"; Maricel Cruz Speed limiter law: A paper tiger
- 2016: The Australian, "China says Australia ‘is no paper tiger, only a paper cat at best’"; Rowan Callick It concluded that Australia was “not even a paper tiger, it’s only a paper cat at best”
Planned (from plans being drawn up on paper)
- paper engine, rocket
- 2015: CBS News, "ULA unveils new rocket to replace Russian boosters"; William Harwood In a background teleconference hosted by SpaceX late last week, an unnamed official dismissed ULA's new booster as a "paper rocket," saying he doubted it would be significantly cheaper than ULA's current stable of launchers.
- 2010: BBC News, "Pratt & Whitney eyes global plane engine deals"; Jorn Madslien Ours is not a paper engine... these are real engines that are in production today
Having a title that is merely official, or given by courtesy or convention.
- a paper baron; a paper lord

verb

(transitive) To apply paper to.
- to paper the hallway walls
(transitive) To document; to memorialize.
- After they reached an agreement, their staffs papered it up.
(transitive) To fill (a theatre or other paid event) with complimentary seats.
(transitive) To submit official papers to (a law court, etc.).
(transitive) To give public notice (typically by displaying posters) that a person is wanted by the police or other authority.
(transitive) To sandpaper.
(transitive) To enfold in paper.
To paste the endpapers and flyleaves at the beginning and end of a book before fitting it into its covers.
(Northeastern US) To cover someone's house with toilet paper. Otherwise known as toilet papering or TPing.