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

Landlords found other ways to circumvent the law, such as pressuring residents into making side payments and stalling paperwork. — Haley Parsley, Sacbee.com, 24 July 2026

Altana is expanding its supply chain mapping and compliance solution with the acquisition of Cervo AI, a startup that automates customs paperwork. — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 24 July 2026

There’s the paperwork, the revisiting of victims’ experiences and the many public dollars spent on investigations. — Chase Hunter, Mercury News, 24 July 2026

On the floor, that's usually triaging downtime alerts or chasing quality-hold paperwork—high-frequency, forgiving if the agent gets one wrong. — Sanjay Brahmawar, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1899, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for paperwork

• bodywork
• handiwork
• ironwork
• latticework
• masterwork
• metalwork
• needlework
• openwork
• overwork
• subnetwork
• telework
• artwork

Kids Definition

paperwork

noun

pa·​per·​work -ˌwərk 

: routine office or record-keeping work