photocopy

1 of 2

noun

pho·​to·​copy ˈfō-tə-ˌkä-pē 

: a copy of usually printed material made with a process in which an image is formed by the action of light usually on an electrically charged surface

photocopy

2 of 2

verb

photocopied; photocopying; photocopies

transitive verb

: to make a photocopy of

intransitive verb

: to make a photocopy

photocopier noun

Examples of photocopy in a Sentence

Noun

She made a photocopy of the letter.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

No books will be harmed in the making—just take photocopies of meaningful passages, and then use twine or ribbon to wrap up a bulb that has green shoots. —Katherine Owen, Southern Living, 14 Dec. 2025

Rader, who was notorious for taunting police and media with letters with clues and descriptions of his crimes, also sent a letter to The Wichita Eagle in 2004 that included photos of Vicki Wegerle from the Sept. 16, 1986, crime scene and a photocopy of her missing driver’s license, per CBS News. —Nicole Briese, PEOPLE, 11 Oct. 2025

Verb

She's tried to convince people to lend logbooks or family journals to the historical society to photocopy for data collection. —Angelika Ytuarte, jsonline.com, 11 Nov. 2025

The title itself sounds like something photocopied, a teasing appropriation from any old business-news listicle. —Christopher Spaide october 3, Literary Hub, 3 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use

Noun

1879, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1924, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Phrases Containing photocopy

• photocopy machine

Rhymes for photocopy

• atopy
• choppy
• copy
• floppy
• poppy
• sloppy

Kids Definition

photocopy

noun

pho·​to·​copy

ˈfōt-ə-ˌkäp-ē

: a copy of usually printed material made using a process in which an image is formed by the action of light on an electrically charged surface

photocopy verb