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
But there was no way the casting team could have known since there was no paper trail.
—
Emily Longeretta, Variety, 14 June 2024
The state does not investigate the sources of pesticides in cannabis goods, but instead relies on a system of paper trails — seed-to-sale inventories and lab testing certificates — to protect the public.
—Paige St. John, Los Angeles Times, 14 June 2024
His first day of testimony yielded little evidence the jury hadn’t already seen, instead weaving together the paper trail prosecutors have laid out over the past four weeks in bank records, emails, text messages and call logs during testimony from 17 witnesses.
—Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 13 May 2024
The team had instructions to only communicate with customers about problems verbally instead of leaving a paper trail.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 8 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for paper trail 
Emily Longeretta, Variety, 14 June 2024
The state does not investigate the sources of pesticides in cannabis goods, but instead relies on a system of paper trails — seed-to-sale inventories and lab testing certificates — to protect the public.
—Paige St. John, Los Angeles Times, 14 June 2024
His first day of testimony yielded little evidence the jury hadn’t already seen, instead weaving together the paper trail prosecutors have laid out over the past four weeks in bank records, emails, text messages and call logs during testimony from 17 witnesses.
—Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 13 May 2024
The team had instructions to only communicate with customers about problems verbally instead of leaving a paper trail.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 8 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for paper trail
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 7 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share