carbon paper

noun

: a thin paper faced with a waxy pigmented coating so that when placed between two sheets of paper the pressure of writing or typing on the top sheet causes transfer of pigment to the bottom sheet

Examples of carbon paper in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web This allowed the writer to transfer their work over to the thinner carbon paper. USA TODAY, 5 July 2023 Thanks to his recreations, visitors like myself can make rubbings using carbon paper without damaging the original pieces of artwork. Jennifer Nalewicki, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Mar. 2023 If your dentist does not have a T-Scan occlusal analysis system, he or she is limited to using articulating paper (a type of carbon paper) to adjust occlusion and bite interferences. Dr. Tom A. Stamas, Discover Magazine, 22 Apr. 2021 Entering the former Emigrant Savings Bank on Chambers Street feels like slipping into the hoary past, and not just because some of us can barely remember cash, let alone savings passbooks and carbon paper. Curbed, 14 Sep. 2022 Everything was on hard copy with carbon paper duplicates. Stephanie Nolasco, Fox News, 19 June 2022 Handwritten information gathered by Chronicle editors was transcribed on manual typewriters, copies being made with carbon paper. George Weigel, WSJ, 17 Mar. 2022 Charts were written by hand and duplicated with carbon paper. James R. Hagerty, WSJ, 2 June 2021 The organizing tools were manual typewriters with carbon paper, index cards in shoeboxes and mimeograph machines. Nadine Hack, Forbes, 21 Apr. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'carbon paper.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1855, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of carbon paper was in 1855

Dictionary Entries Near carbon paper

Cite this Entry

“Carbon paper.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carbon%20paper. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

carbon paper

noun
: a thin paper coated with a coloring matter and used for making copies of something written or typed

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