wallpaper

noun wall·pa·per \ ˈwȯl-ˌpā-pər \

Updated on: 8 Apr 2018

Definition of wallpaper

1 : decorative paper for the walls of a room

2 : the background image or set of images displayed on a computer screen

After becoming a member, the user gets to design a homepage with his or her choice of pictures, music, wallpaper, writing, and information making each page unique.
—Fahiym Ratcliffe

See wallpaper defined for English-language learners

See wallpaper defined for kids

Examples of wallpaper in a Sentence

The wallpaper began to peel.

Recent Examples of wallpaper from the Web

The new collection arrived on April 1 and now includes wallpaper, hardware and paint (a Magnolia Home by Joanna Gaines collab with KILZ) to help your home spring forward.

— erin jensen, USA TODAY, "Following the 'Fixer Upper' finale, here's how you can get your Chip, Joanna Gaines fix," 4 Apr. 2018
Leaf-print wallpaper, layered rugs and rattan chairs from Article create a cozy, Bohemian vibe reminiscent of her master suite.

— megan stein, PEOPLE.com, "Whitney Port Makes Over Her 'Mega-Old' Kitchen into a 'Fresh, Bright and Airy' Retreat," 26 Mar. 2018
But when the dignitaries visit, the coach and her team are merely unification wallpaper.

— jerry brewer, The Seattle Times, "There’s peace in the air at the Pyeongchang Olympics, but something doesn’t smell right," 10 Feb. 2018
It was also dated, with cabinets that had, at some point in time, been covered with wallpaper.

— mary jo bowling, Curbed, "A first time homeowner takes on the remodel of a midcentury modern time capsule," 19 Mar. 2018
The antique chandelier is Russian, and the scenic wallpaper is from the 19th century.

— cynthia frank, ELLE Decor, "House Tour: A Once-Crumbling Milan Apartment Now Revels In Maximalist Decor," 13 Mar. 2018
How do those working with wallpaper feel about this apparent intersection with fashion?

— madeleine luckel, Vogue, "Fashion and Wallpaper Are Recommitting to Each Other in a Major Way," 8 Mar. 2018
The place has been repainted, reupholstered and adorned with new wallpaper and curtains.

— susan selasky, Detroit Free Press, "Huron Room closes, reopens as Fist of Curry," 28 Feb. 2018
Like wallpaper, violence has become an unfortunate backdrop to contemporary life.

— michael reichert, The Atlantic, "Male Violence Is Everywhere," 26 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'wallpaper.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of wallpaper

1827

wallpaper

verb

Definition of wallpaper

transitive verb

: to provide the walls of (a room) with wallpaper

intransitive verb

: to put wallpaper on a wall

See wallpaper defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of wallpaper from the Web

Printed out and wallpapering half the conference room was the entirety of Hawaii’s medical-marijuana legislation.

— olga khazan, The Atlantic, "Laid-Back Hawaii's Strict Approach to Marijuana," 3 Nov. 2017
And who would want the cozy maximalism of Plum Sykes’s William Morris wallpapers to be disrupted by such a thing?

— madeleine luckel, Vogue, "Take an Early Look Inside Vogue’s New Book, Vogue Living: Country, City, Coast," 17 Oct. 2017
There is much here that will be cut up and spliced across the Internet, and wallpapered onto social media.

— Vogue, "Louise Bourgeois’s Latest Show Is a Must-See for Women in the Digital Age," 29 Sep. 2017
No brick under your plaster? Wallpaper companies like NewWall and Woodchip & Magnolia have developed realistic-looking brick and stone patterns—a fun and easy way to try out the trend!

— taysha murtaugh, Country Living, "The Surprising Way You're Ruining Your Exposed Brick Walls," 29 June 2017
An entire gallery at the MoCP is wallpapered with 16,276 images shot on his smartphone throughout these travels.

— lori waxman, chicagotribune.com, "Ai Weiwei, the new hero of selfie culture," 24 May 2017
Yes, that Freddie—Freddie Prinze Jr., the turn-of-the-century heartthrob whose Tiger Beat posters wallpapered your middle-school locker.

— colleen leahey mckeegan, Marie Claire, "Sarah Michelle Gellar's Second Act? Disrupting the Food Industry," 18 Apr. 2017
Dated billboards Los Angeles is wallpapered with billboards—another production detail that would have immediately dated the film.

— vanityfair.com, "The Clever Tricks That Made La La Land Look Technicolor and Timeless," 16 Feb. 2017
Dated billboards Los Angeles is wallpapered with billboards—another production detail that would have immediately dated the film.

— julie miller, HWD, "The Clever Tricks That Made La La Land Look Technicolor and Timeless," 16 Feb. 2017

First Known Use of wallpaper

1918

Financial Definition of WALLPAPER

wallpaper

noun

What It Is

Wallpaper is slang for a security with minimal to no market value.

How It Works

Once a security becomes worthless, its hard documentation (for example, its stock certificate) no longer has any practical function. The term "wallpaper" suggests that it be used as such.

Why It Matters

Following the Internet startup bust in the early 2000s, the stock of many web-based companies turned into wallpaper in a short span of time. The term doesn't only apply to stocks. For example, the impact of hyperinflation in Germany following World War I resulted in its currency becoming wallpaper.

Source: Investing Answers