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
State and local investigators have already reported that tens of billions of dollars of homelessness spending vanished without a paper trail.
—
Susan Shelley, Oc Register, 7 Jan. 2026
With an electronic paper trail of revenues and expenses, dispensaries would look more credible and verifiable to banks and potential lenders, said Amiyatosh Purnanandam, a professor of finance at the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas, Austin, and an expert in corporate finance.
—Hannah Parker, NBC news, 24 Dec. 2025
The paper trail becomes faint after 1865, though Klein confirmed that Sarah’s father died in January 1866 and is buried in Vale Cemetery in Schenectady.
—Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Nov. 2025
The only way to answer these questions is through systematic audits and a clear paper trail—this was the launchpad for our study.
—Chara Podimata, Time, 21 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for paper trail
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Susan Shelley, Oc Register, 7 Jan. 2026
With an electronic paper trail of revenues and expenses, dispensaries would look more credible and verifiable to banks and potential lenders, said Amiyatosh Purnanandam, a professor of finance at the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas, Austin, and an expert in corporate finance.
—Hannah Parker, NBC news, 24 Dec. 2025
The paper trail becomes faint after 1865, though Klein confirmed that Sarah’s father died in January 1866 and is buried in Vale Cemetery in Schenectady.
—Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Nov. 2025
The only way to answer these questions is through systematic audits and a clear paper trail—this was the launchpad for our study.
—Chara Podimata, Time, 21 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for paper trail
Cite this Entry
“Paper trail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paper%20trail. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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