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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
Many in the public were distrustful of the touch-screen devices, which didn’t produce a paper trail allowing people to know for sure if their votes were being recorded as intended.
—Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 1 Oct. 2024
Take this paper trail: Chelsea bring in Filip Jorgensen from Villarreal, rendering Kepa Arrizabalaga more redundant than ever, and facilitating Djordje Petrovic’s switch to Strasbourg today.
—Phil Hay, The Athletic, 29 Aug. 2024
This will involve clear evidence, such as a paper trail, to illustrate the roles played.
—Peter Rutzler, The Athletic, 14 Aug. 2024
More importantly, developers will also inevitably leave a paper trail of credentials, application programming interface tokens and passkeys embedded in their code, which can remain exposed for years, even after deletion.
—Adrian Bridgwater, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
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Word History
First Known Use
1935, in the meaning defined above
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 21 Dec. 2024.
Kids Definition
paper trail
noun
: documents (as financial records or published materials) from which a person's actions may be traced or opinions learned
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