papering over

verb

present participle of paper over
1
as in ignoring
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hiding
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 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
  1. ignoring
  2. hiding
  3. forgiving
  4. concealing
  5. overlooking
  6. obscuring
  7. passing over
  8. covering
Verb
  • The aftermath of the fire has been litigious, with tenants accusing companies of not maintaining safety systems, ignoring complaints about fireworks and failing to secure the property after the fire.
    — Cassidy Alexander, AJC.com, 24 July 2026
  • The market up until now has been looking through or flat out ignoring the inevitable supply shock if the status quo persists, our base case expectation.
    — Brian Sullivan, CNBC, 23 July 2026
Definition of ignoring
Verb
  • Little does Sinon know, Odysseus and his men are hiding inside the horse to launch a sneak attack on Troy.
    — Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 19 July 2026
  • The philosopher Michael Sandel (Rhodes Scholar, Harvard professor) accuses elites of hiding their privilege behind spurious claims of merit.
    — Gilad Edelman, The Atlantic, 19 July 2026
Definition of hiding
Verb
  • On the floor, that's usually triaging downtime alerts or chasing quality-hold paperwork—high-frequency, forgiving if the agent gets one wrong.
    — Sanjay Brahmawar, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
  • Chicken thighs are a flavorful, versatile, and forgiving protein that can elevate your weekly meals with ease.
    — Riley Wofford, Martha Stewart, 19 July 2026
Definition of forgiving
Verb
  • Also featured in the film is the K-pop singing group Saja Boys — Jinu, Mystery, Abby, Romance and Baby — who are concealing their identities as demons.
    — Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
  • The family of an 18-year-old Texas honor student whose body was recovered from a Dallas-area lake is demanding murder charges after police accused two teenagers of concealing evidence instead of reporting his drowning.
    — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 14 July 2026
Definition of concealing
Verb
  • Occupying the landmark Carbide and Carbon Building, Chateau Carbide extends the hotel’s Art Deco character to an open-air rooftop overlooking Michigan Avenue and the historic Loop.
    — Taryn White, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
  • Lynn, Mass About a half-hour from downtown Boston, this renovated two-bedroom condo is in an 1893 classical revival building overlooking Nahant Bay.
    — The Week US, TheWeek, 20 July 2026
Definition of overlooking
Verb
  • But as health officials struggle to identify the source of a growing outbreak, some experts believe the focus on food may be obscuring the bigger picture.
    — Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 11 July 2026
  • Also, there are important players coming back from significant injuries, obscuring the picture.
    — David Aldridge, New York Times, 2 July 2026
Definition of obscuring
Verb
  • With eclipses passing over the country three years in a row, Spain is well on its way to cementing its reputation as a premier astrotourism destination.
    — Catherine Tansey, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 July 2026
  • The center of Super Typhoon Bavi, the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane, was passing over Rota, an island of 2,000 people in the Northern Mariana Islands.
    — Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
Definition of passing over
Verb
  • The prefect of the Gironde region that includes Bordeaux ordered the evacuation in the early hours of Saturday, covering parts of three of the city’s western suburbs, including its airport.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 July 2026
  • After about seven years of covering politics every day, the repetition of the photographs started to wear on her.
    — Sarah Silbiger, CNN Money, 25 July 2026
Definition of covering

Browse Nearby Words

papered over
papering over
paper money
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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 Jul. 2026.

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