paper trail

noun

: documents (such as financial records) from which a person's actions may be traced or opinions learned

Examples of paper trail in a Sentence

They covered up the fraud and were careful not to leave a paper trail.

Recent Examples on the Web

Not every condition develops slowly enough to leave that kind of paper trail. — Emma Clapp, Miami Herald, 16 Oct. 2026

Painter expressed concern that paper trail may one day become unintelligible if AI models begin using their own language to track their steps. — Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2026

Once the paper trail catches up, the buyer is generally left empty-handed. — Byron Hurd, The Drive, 15 Oct. 2026

Often, the paper trail leads to Nigerian third parties holding bank accounts in America. — Snigdha Poonam, The Dial, 13 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1935, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for paper trail

• abigail
• cottontail
• countervail
• fingernail
• martingale
• mesoscale
• microscale
• monorail
• nanoscale
• ponytail
• swallowtail
• wensleydale

Kids Definition

paper trail

noun

: documents (as financial records or published materials) from which a person's actions may be traced or opinions learned