papered over

Definition of papered overnext
past tense of paper over

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 papered 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 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 The top line’s results do come with an asterisk, though — their goal differential is boosted by Ilya Sorokin’s superb play, which has papered over some of the line’s mediocre play-driving numbers. Harman Dayal, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2026 Even so, personality disputes can be papered over if countries share mutual goals and interests. Daniel Depetris, Chicago Tribune, 27 Jan. 2026 But not all differences can be papered over. Jill Lawless, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026 Underneath, its windows are artfully papered over with construction paper clouds. Kansas City Star, 22 Nov. 2025 The recent San Diego fee increases, which aside from Measure C were not directly approved by voters, will help but won’t solve the city’s structural budget deficit that has been papered over for years. Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for papered over
Verb
  • Despite wooden signs prohibiting people reserving sun loungers with towels and then leaving them, the father-of-two said guests routinely ignored the warning.
    Charlotte Reck, CNN Money, 7 May 2026
  • To some, the data centers are an inevitable part of our future and an economic opportunity that can’t be ignored as the global AI race accelerates.
    Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 May 2026
Verb
  • The suit further alleges that Cameron and his team concealed the truth about the inspiration behind the character’s image for years.
    Rebecca Cohen, NBC news, 6 May 2026
  • The officers were responding to a Secret Service agent's report that Marx was seen near with White House complex with a firearm concealed on the right side of his body, the affidavit says.
    ABC News, ABC News, 6 May 2026
Verb
  • Smaller cities within the county often have different transit needs and challenges, and greater representation can help ensure those perspectives are not overlooked in a system of this size.
    Steve Scauzillo, Daily News, 4 May 2026
  • But the bigger story should not be overlooked.
    Stephen Hudak, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 May 2026
Verb
  • Talking to Vogue, Lauren Sánchez Bezos explained the inspiration behind her Schiaparelli gown.
    Dalila Muata, NBC news, 5 May 2026
  • Other factors, such as a decline in physical activity and hormonal shifts, play a role, Collen explained.
    Maggie O'Neill, Verywell Health, 4 May 2026
Verb
  • That starts with its CEO Barbara Petersen, who spent decades tracking bills that obscured the public right to public information, as head of the First Amendment Foundation.
    Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 Apr. 2026
  • Giulia Rodighiero, the study’s lead author and an astronomer at the University of Padua in Italy, had wondered whether other large objects, perhaps obscured by their own dust, might be dwelling among JWST’s blue monsters.
    Jenna Ahart, Scientific American, 30 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Decadent art, with its mannerism, also its enthusiasm for skulls, swords, strippers, and other Hot Topic motifs, is for some art historians an embarrassing cul-de-sac best passed over in favor of a narrative of formal progress leading inevitably to abstraction.
    Olivia Kan-Sperling, Artforum, 2 May 2026
  • The rule offers a real pathway for films passed over by their own countries’ submission committees.
    Clayton Davis, Variety, 1 May 2026
Verb
  • The city cut funding last year to $800,000, with the remainder covered by a grant from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
    Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
  • The notices accompanying the most recent launches from Plesetsk covered much longer time periods, with daily windows of up to 10 hours over up to 14 consecutive days.
    Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 1 May 2026
Verb
  • Gerrymanders that discriminate against Black voters could be justified today as merely offering partisan advantage to Republicans.
    Vann R. Newkirk II, The Atlantic, 2 May 2026
  • Recent polling suggests that roughly 30% of young Americans hold the view that political violence can be justified in certain circumstances.
    Andrew Cuomo, New York Daily News, 2 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Papered over.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/papered%20over. Accessed 8 May. 2026.

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