noun
copy
KO-pee
noun
1
A duplicate of something original.
"Keep a copy of the contract for your records."
"She made three copies of the report before the meeting."
2
Written text intended for publication or advertising.
"The marketing team spent all week polishing the ad copy."
verb
1
To make a duplicate of something, or to imitate it.
"Please copy me on that email."
"He copied his brother's haircut exactly."
How to Use Copy
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA duplicate of something, the text used in writing/publishing, or the act of duplicating or imitating.
Common mistake
In publishing/advertising, "copy" means the written words themselves, not a duplicate — a "copywriter" writes ad text, not photocopies.
Common pairings
make a copy
hard copy
carbon copy
copy and paste
Word Forms
copied past tense, copies plural, copies singular
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Keep a _____ of the contract for your records.
Etymology
From Old French copie ("transcript, abundance"), from Latin copia ("abundance"), since making many copies produces an abundance of a text.