on paper

phrase

1

: in writing

wants these promises on paper

2

: in theory

the plan looks good on paper

3

: figured at face value

on paper the stock was worth nearly a million dollars

Examples of on paper in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Staying in touch can require a lot of hard work, at least on paper. — Renée Onque, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2026

The Dodgers entered the postseason with the best rotation of any team on paper, led by Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who proved to be practically superhuman in the World Series last year. — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2026

But an exception on paper is not the same thing as access to care in practice. — Dara Kass, Washington Post, 9 Oct. 2026

Meet the new power couple—but there’s a catch DINKs have long been the couple to envy on paper, with a median household income of $193,900, compared with $151,900 for dual-income couples with kids, per Pew Research Center. — Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2026

Rhymes for on paper

• newspaper
• notepaper
• sandpaper
• skyscraper
• wallpaper
• wastepaper
• caper
• raper
• scraper
• shaper
• taper
• vapor