noun
(uncountable) Routine work involving written documents.
(uncountable) Written documents.
(uncountable, hyperbolic, also figurative) Excessive paperwork, busy work, red tape.
(uncountable, US, prison slang) Court documents or pre-sentencing investigation reports detailing the prisoner's criminal history (usually in the context of discerning whether an inmate has been charged for sex-related offenses or is likely to be an informant).
(countable) A work in paper.