noun
wallpaper
noun
1
Decorative paper or paper-like material used to cover interior walls.
"They chose a floral wallpaper for the guest bedroom."
"The old wallpaper was peeling near the ceiling."
2
An image or pattern used as the background of a computer or phone screen.
"He set a photo of his dog as his desktop wallpaper."
verb
1
To cover a wall or room with wallpaper.
"We spent the weekend wallpapering the hallway."
How to Use Wallpaper
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishPatterned paper stuck to walls for decoration — or, on a computer, the background image on your screen.
Common pairings
hang wallpaper
desktop wallpaper
peeling wallpaper
floral wallpaper
Word Forms
wallpapered past tense, wallpapers plural, wallpapers singular
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They chose a floral _____ for the guest bedroom.
Etymology
A straightforward compound of wall and paper, dating from the 1800s when patterned paper became a common way to decorate room walls.