paperwork
noun
pa·per·work
ˈpā-pər-ˌwərk 
: routine clerical or recordkeeping work often incidental to a more important task
Examples of paperwork in a Sentence
She failed to file the paperwork on time.
The lawyer had us fill in the paperwork for the mortgage.
Recent Examples on the Web
Oil and gas giant EOG Resources has signed paperwork to move its Denver office from Upper Downtown to LoDo.
—
Matthew Geiger, Denver Post, 16 Oct. 2025
That criminal is back on the street before the officer gets through doing the paperwork.
—Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2025
That one-in-a-million hire signed the paperwork and is officially on board.
—Rebecca Knight, Harvard Business Review, 14 Oct. 2025
Reducing federal oversight could streamline administrative processes, decrease paperwork, and provide schools with greater flexibility on testing and compliance.
—Grace Tucker, Cincinnati Enquirer, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for paperwork
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.
Matthew Geiger, Denver Post, 16 Oct. 2025
That criminal is back on the street before the officer gets through doing the paperwork.
—Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2025
That one-in-a-million hire signed the paperwork and is officially on board.
—Rebecca Knight, Harvard Business Review, 14 Oct. 2025
Reducing federal oversight could streamline administrative processes, decrease paperwork, and provide schools with greater flexibility on testing and compliance.
—Grace Tucker, Cincinnati Enquirer, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for paperwork
Cite this Entry
“Paperwork.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paperwork. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
paperwork
noun
pa·per·work
-ˌwərk
: routine office or record-keeping work
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share