paper over
verb
papered over; papering over; papers over
1
: to gloss over, explain away, or patch up (differences, disparities, etc.) especially in order to maintain a semblance of unity or agreement
Examples of paper over in a Sentence
the differences between the two factions are too great to be papered over in the name of party unity
the company tried to paper over its red ink, issuing assurances that it was still financially sound
Recent Examples on the Web
Instead, Sorkin teamed up with Boyle for a movie that might be more conventional than The Social Network, but that’s also a smart, humane examination of the inner turmoil of a man who presented himself to the world as a prophet as a way to paper over his own pain.
—
Tim Grierson, Vulture, 20 June 2025
Perhaps that’s what fans were griping about last year — that Burns didn’t have it anymore and Slavin was papering over all those issues, enough to fool this model.
—Dom Luszczyszyn, New York Times, 18 June 2025
My personal favorite is Fishbowl, where players work to have teammates guess words, phrases, or characters written on slips of paper over three rounds.
—Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 21 June 2025
Tax legislation often requires difficult compromises to paper over divisions within the ruling party.
—Laurent Belsie, Christian Science Monitor, 18 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for paper over
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Tim Grierson, Vulture, 20 June 2025
Perhaps that’s what fans were griping about last year — that Burns didn’t have it anymore and Slavin was papering over all those issues, enough to fool this model.
—Dom Luszczyszyn, New York Times, 18 June 2025
My personal favorite is Fishbowl, where players work to have teammates guess words, phrases, or characters written on slips of paper over three rounds.
—Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 21 June 2025
Tax legislation often requires difficult compromises to paper over divisions within the ruling party.
—Laurent Belsie, Christian Science Monitor, 18 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for paper over
Cite this Entry
“Paper over.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paper%20over. Accessed 1 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share