papering over

present participle of paper over
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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 papering over But many residents worry that the festive mood and infrastructure works risk papering over the security crisis that still affects their daily lives. Bloomberg, Mercury News, 4 June 2026 The improvement between Gemini 2 and Gemini 3 may be papering over a more serious flaw. Frank Landymore, Futurism, 8 Apr. 2026 Yet the money manager remains hopeful that fiscal stimulus — more government spending coupled with consumer and business tax breaks — from last year's One Big Beautiful Bill will start to take effect in a few months, papering over any nascent economic weakness. Sarah Min, CNBC, 20 Feb. 2026 If lawmakers are serious about affordability and homeownership, this is the structural reform that actually solves the problem rather than papering over it. Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026 But the results were papering over some crumbly performances. Carl Anka, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for papering over
Verb
  • Employers are not ignoring these problems.
    Bob Batchelor, Fortune, 23 June 2026
  • Today, the organization is notorious for ignoring infrastructure maintenance in favor of massive building projects.
    Craig Hooper, Forbes.com, 21 June 2026
Verb
  • Police officers responding to Leslie Martin’s call and separate reports of a break-in found Doug Martin hiding in a neighbor’s home.
    HANNAH FINGERHUT, Chicago Tribune, 26 June 2026
  • The film is a modern take on the creature horror film told from the perspective of a young boy who slowly begins to discover that his beloved parents are hiding a disturbing secret about his mother’s true nature.
    Justin Kroll, Deadline, 25 June 2026
Verb
  • Forgiveness is a basis of all religions and most inmates have the most difficulty forgiving one person; themselves.
    Walter Pavlo, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026
  • The underlying economics are forgiving, if anyone bothers to design for them.
    Warren Wimmer, Mercury News, 24 June 2026
Verb
  • She was acquitted of concealing an individual to prevent arrest, a misdemeanor.
    CBS News, CBS News, 17 June 2026
  • She was acquitted of concealing an individual to prevent arrest, a misdemeanor.
    ABC News, ABC News, 16 June 2026
Verb
  • Aerial photos show that the contemporary-style home is five stories, with four levels of balconies and a pool overlooking the beach below.
    Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2026
  • The estate sits on nearly half an acre of landscaped grounds, with a covered veranda overlooking formal lawns, a pond, and a vegetable garden, as well as—an uncommon feature for the area—a 41-foot heated swimming pool.
    Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 24 June 2026
Verb
  • The irony is a bit hard to ignore — the very environment being modified to protect or maintain beaches was simultaneously obscuring the ecological processes happening just offshore.
    Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026
  • And what’s a novelist but a fence, furnishing imaginary scenes with choice pieces of reality while obscuring their provenance?
    Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 22 June 2026
Verb
  • On Wednesday, there is a significant chance of more thunderstorms likely to redevelop along a cold front passing over far eastern Illinois and northwest Indiana, officials said.
    Deanese Williams-Harris, Chicago Tribune, 16 June 2026
  • Subtle audio tracks the sound of ice on the move, views of clouds passing over glass-like ice, and there's the eventual memorial for Ok.
    Erika Owen, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 June 2026
Verb
  • Our managing editor Hannah Wise shares about how The Star is covering the World Cup.
    The Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 21 June 2026
  • The clinic provides standard all-inclusive packages covering hotel, transfers, and translation.
    Ascend Agency, New York Daily News, 21 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Papering over.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/papering%20over. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.

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