PAPER OVER Synonyms: 94 Similar and Opposite Words

paper over

verb

as in to ignore

to dismiss as of little importance the differences between the two factions are too great to be papered over in the name of party unity

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to conceal

to keep secret or shut off from view the company tried to paper over its red ink, issuing assurances that it was still financially sound

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of paper over Her transgression is one of the worst things imaginable; in a way, what Emma is hiding stems from a societal ill that gets papered over every day. —

David Sims, The Atlantic, 3 Apr. 2026 The structural failures that are the true roots of the region's turmoil—not Tehran—will go unaddressed, papered over by the noise and urgency of the conflict. —

Frederic Wehrey, Time, 24 Mar. 2026 Working without Hollywood’s franchise infrastructure or Marvel-scale production budgets, Korean artists couldn’t paper over a weak story with expensive spectacle. —

Dan Bilefsky, HollywoodReporter, 21 Mar. 2026 Buried inside this success story is a growing fiscal problem that policymakers have quietly papered over for more than a decade. —

Louis Sigaud, The Orlando Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for paper over

Recent Examples of Synonyms for paper over

Verb

Roughly 2 in 10 did not have time to make an appointment, had felt ignored or dismissed by a provider in the past or were too embarrassed to talk to a person.

— ABC News, ABC News, 15 Apr. 2026
Too seldom is the collective good even an afterthought, E Pluribus Unum a motto untranslated and ignored.

— Rabbi Dan Levin, Sun Sentinel, 14 Apr. 2026