paper trail
noun
: documents (such as financial records) from which a person's actions may be traced or opinions learned
Examples of paper trail in a Sentence
They covered up the fraud and were careful not to leave a paper trail.
Recent Examples on the Web
That way, there would never be a paper trail showing that the two of them had exchanged messages.
—
Zachariah Mushawatu, The Christian Science Monitor, 3 Apr. 2024
Investigators probing the Boeing 737 Max blowout say their investigation is being held back by Boeing’s lack of a paper trail for key work.
—Gregory Wallace, CNN, 13 Mar. 2024
Envelopes stuffed with cash were routinely sent by courier to girlfriends and parents, to avoid a direct paper trail to the players.
—Guy Lawson, Rolling Stone, 24 Mar. 2024
Sometimes even a meticulous paper trail and a polite request isn’t enough.
—Christopher Elliott, King Features Syndicate, The Mercury News, 5 Feb. 2024
Moreover, trial protocols that require in-clinic pregnancy testing could create paper trails, which may pose legal risks for both participants and clinical research staff.
—Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 23 June 2023
On Wednesday, in a letter to a Senate committee probing Boeing, the National Transportation Safety Board said its investigation has been held back by Boeing’s lack of a paper trail for key evidence.
—Angus Watson, CNN, 13 Mar. 2024
The service creates a paper trail visible to both the whistleblower and the business accused of misbehavior—but one that’s stored on third-party infrastructure to prevent it being doctored.
—Joel Khalili, WIRED, 26 Feb. 2024
Paleontologists have gone back to the original bones, as well as the dinosaur’s paper trail through the history of science, to reintroduce us to Megalosaurus as a bipedal predator that wandered along the Jurassic coastline.
—Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Feb. 2024
Zachariah Mushawatu, The Christian Science Monitor, 3 Apr. 2024
Investigators probing the Boeing 737 Max blowout say their investigation is being held back by Boeing’s lack of a paper trail for key work.
—Gregory Wallace, CNN, 13 Mar. 2024
Envelopes stuffed with cash were routinely sent by courier to girlfriends and parents, to avoid a direct paper trail to the players.
—Guy Lawson, Rolling Stone, 24 Mar. 2024
Sometimes even a meticulous paper trail and a polite request isn’t enough.
—Christopher Elliott, King Features Syndicate, The Mercury News, 5 Feb. 2024
Moreover, trial protocols that require in-clinic pregnancy testing could create paper trails, which may pose legal risks for both participants and clinical research staff.
—Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 23 June 2023
On Wednesday, in a letter to a Senate committee probing Boeing, the National Transportation Safety Board said its investigation has been held back by Boeing’s lack of a paper trail for key evidence.
—Angus Watson, CNN, 13 Mar. 2024
The service creates a paper trail visible to both the whistleblower and the business accused of misbehavior—but one that’s stored on third-party infrastructure to prevent it being doctored.
—Joel Khalili, WIRED, 26 Feb. 2024
Paleontologists have gone back to the original bones, as well as the dinosaur’s paper trail through the history of science, to reintroduce us to Megalosaurus as a bipedal predator that wandered along the Jurassic coastline.
—Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'paper trail.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near paper trail
Cite this Entry
“Paper trail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paper%20trail. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
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