plural copies
1
: an imitation, transcript, or reproduction of an original work (such as a letter, a painting, a table, or a dress)
2
: one of a series of especially mechanical reproductions of an original impression
also
: an individual example of such a reproduction
3
archaic
: something to be imitated : model
4
a
: matter to be set especially for printing
b
: something considered printable or newsworthy
—used without an article
remarks that make good copy—
Norman Cousins
Norman Cousins
c
: text especially of an advertisement
5
: duplicate sense 1a
a copy of a computer file
a copy of a gene
copied; copying; copies
1
: to make a copy or duplicate of
copy a document
Please copy and paste the link into your browser.
For players who are holdovers from last year's ballot, I just copied and pasted what I wrote a year ago.—Dave Cameron
Dave Cameron2
: to model oneself on
3
in radio/military communications
: to acknowledge receipt of (a message)
The operator of the Titanic was busy figuring his accounts and did not bother to copy the message. A little later in the afternoon, another ship named the Baltic called the Titanic to tell her about icebergs that were in her way.—Rev. Robert P. Lawrence
Rev. Robert P. Lawrence1
: to make a copy
2
: to undergo copying
the map did not copy well
3
in radio/military communications
: to acknowledge receipt and understanding of a message
"Block the road with your car. Take no other action. … No resistance, do you copy? Over."—Stephen King
Stephen KingSynonyms
Examples of copy in a Sentence
Noun
The novel has sold more than a million copies.
She got a job writing advertising copy.
All copy must be submitted by 5 p.m.
Verb
She copied the design on a piece of paper.
Copy the file to your hard drive.
The bills are designed to prevent copying by counterfeiters.
We caught him copying the answers out of the book.
We caught him copying out of the book.
The speech was copied word for word.
His music was copied widely.
Their competitors soon copied the idea.
Recent Examples on the Web
Amarachi Orie, CNN, 22 Nov. 2024
When your cells are occupied by two viruses, one of them initiates a response that essentially weakens the other and blocks it from making copies of itself, Dr. Murcia explains.
—Katie Camero, SELF, 22 Nov. 2024
Bob Beacham, Popular Science, 22 Nov. 2024
But when a new killer begins copying Matt’s crimes as the ‘Westside Ripper’, Ava falls back into a true-crime obsession with her ‘Murder Bunny’ TikTok account, determined to find out whether her future brother-in-law is behind this new series of killings.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 21 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for copy 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Noun
Join 1 other in the comments View Comments The copy up for sale — which was in an Italian library until the middle of the 19th century and passed through several hands before being acquired by an English private collector — is from 1532.
—Amarachi Orie, CNN, 22 Nov. 2024
When your cells are occupied by two viruses, one of them initiates a response that essentially weakens the other and blocks it from making copies of itself, Dr. Murcia explains.
—Katie Camero, SELF, 22 Nov. 2024
Verb
What to consider when buying the best Arduino starter kits
Arduino is an open-source hardware and software platform, which means anyone can copy the designs to produce an Arduino starter kit.
—Bob Beacham, Popular Science, 22 Nov. 2024
But when a new killer begins copying Matt’s crimes as the ‘Westside Ripper’, Ava falls back into a true-crime obsession with her ‘Murder Bunny’ TikTok account, determined to find out whether her future brother-in-law is behind this new series of killings.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 21 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for copy
Articles Related to copy
Dictionary Entries Near copy
Cite this Entry
“Copy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/copy. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
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