paper trail
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She becomes the de facto “keeper” of these letters and more mementos — a “strange gift,” she writes, the paper trail of something that should never have happened.
From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026
For one, he doesn’t have the provocative paper trail that Dhillon has.
From Salon • Apr. 12, 2026
Police have also appealed to anyone who bought or shared the images to delete them immediately, warning that "there will be a digital paper trail".
From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026
Christie’s specialist Giada Damen, who spent months retracing its paper trail and showing it to Michelangelo experts, said this foot wound up with a Swiss diplomat whose family held onto it for generations.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 5, 2026
A paper trail to a Chickasaw great-grandfather none of them had ever known was a path into a past she’d spent her whole life escaping.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
