carbon copy

noun

1

: a copy made by carbon paper

2

: duplicate

is a carbon copy of his father

Synonyms of carbon copy

• image
• twin
• replica
• picture
• clone
• portrait
• mirror image
• duplicate
• alter ego

Examples of carbon copy in a Sentence

I'll need a carbon copy of that receipt.

She's a carbon copy of her mother.

Recent Examples on the Web

In the second half, there was a carbon copy of the same move, when Leno again aimed straight down the middle of the pitch to Wilson, with substitute Jorrel Hato scampering back to avoid further embarrassment. —Tom Burrows, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2026

While 2025 denim was nearly a carbon copy of 2024—loose fits, Western influences, denim coordinates and minimal distressing—2026 could see an injection of newness. —Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 5 Jan. 2026

That said, the meal itself wasn't a carbon copy of the first two. —Erin Bunch, Bon Appetit Magazine, 18 Dec. 2025

That sort of humility should also come through your hiring, Halligan advised; your team should be full of people who challenge and frustrate you with their differences, rather than carbon copies of yourself. —Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 25 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1876, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for carbon copy

• photocopy
• atopy
• choppy
• floppy
• poppy
• sloppy

Kids Definition

carbon copy

noun

1

: a copy made with carbon paper

2

: duplicate entry 2