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Examples of paper tiger in a Sentence
The new laws are just paper tigers without any method of enforcement.
Recent Examples on the Web
As Israel continues to pound leadership bunkers and weapons caches at will from uncontested airspace — at the cost of hundreds of civilian lives in Lebanon — the Lebanese Shiite militia has been revealed as a paper tiger.
—Robert Grenier, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
Washington would be unwise to test the theory that China is a paper tiger that would back down in the face of concerted American action.
—Ryan Hass, Foreign Affairs, 9 July 2024
The problems are far beyond the Center being a paper tiger or a rudderless ship.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 7 July 2024
The failure to hit a single target might persuade Tehran’s adversaries that the regime is a paper tiger.
—Suzanne Maloney, Foreign Affairs, 18 Apr. 2024
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Word History
First Known Use
1836, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near paper tiger
Cite this Entry
“Paper tiger.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paper%20tiger. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
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