TOP

Definition of copy verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

copy

verb
 
/ˈkɒpi/
 
/ˈkɑːpi/
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they copy
 
/ˈkɒpi/
 
/ˈkɑːpi/
he / she / it copies
 
/ˈkɒpiz/
 
/ˈkɑːpiz/
past simple copied
 
/ˈkɒpid/
 
/ˈkɑːpid/
past participle copied
 
/ˈkɒpid/
 
/ˈkɑːpid/
-ing form copying
 
/ˈkɒpiɪŋ/
 
/ˈkɑːpiɪŋ/
Phrasal Verbs
jump to other results
  1. [transitive] to make something that is exactly like something else
    • copy something He taught himself by copying paintings in the Louvre.
    • The product has been widely copied by other manufacturers.
    • copy something from something They copied the designs from those on Greek vases.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • illegally
    preposition
    • from
    • onto
    phrases
    • copy and paste
    • be widely copied
    See full entry
  2. [transitive] to write something exactly as it is written somewhere else
    • copy something The monks spent their days copying manuscripts.
    • copy something from something The children copied the sentences from the whiteboard.
    • copy something (from something) into/onto something She copied the phone number into her address book.
    • copy something out I copied out several poems.
    • copy something down You do not have to copy down every word in a lecture.
    Extra Examples
    • She copied all the addresses into her address book.
    • I copied down several phone numbers from the list.
    • He copied all the details from the brochure onto a piece of paper.
    • They laboriously copied out manuscripts.
    • copying a recipe off the packet
    • laboriously copying out an old manuscript
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • carefully
    • laboriously
    • meticulously
    preposition
    • from
    • into
    • onto
    See full entry
  3. [transitive] (computing) to create an identical (= similar in every detail) version of data, a program, etc. so that you can use it again somewhere else
    • copy something The software has been illegally copied.
    • copy something to something You can copy the data to your new laptop in the usual way.
    • You can copy the selected text to the clipboard.
    • copy something into/onto something All the files were copied onto memory sticks.
    • copy something from something Use the clipboard to copy and paste information from websites.
    • copy something from something into/onto something She copied all the addresses from the website into her address book.
  4. [transitive] copy somebody/something to behave or do something in the same way as somebody else synonym imitate
    • She copies everything her sister does.
    • Their tactics have been copied by other terrorist organizations.
    • He was just a little kid copying his idol.
    Extra Examples
    • She slavishly copies the older girl's style.
    • He copied that mannerism from his brother.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • blindly
    • slavishly
    preposition
    • from
    • off
    See full entry
  5. [intransitive, transitive] to cheat in an exam, school work, etc. by writing what somebody else has written and pretending it is your own work
    • He was punished by his teacher for copying in the exam.
    • copy from/off somebody She was caught copying off another student.
    • copy something Copying other students' work is not acceptable.
  6. (also photocopy)
    [transitive] copy something to make a photocopy of something
    • Finally, the notes can be copied and distributed to the audience.
  7. Word OriginMiddle English (denoting a transcript or copy of a document): from Old French copie (noun), copier (verb), from Latin copia ‘abundance’ (in medieval Latin ‘transcript’, from such phrases as copiam describendi facere ‘give permission to transcribe’).
See copy in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee copy in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
alloy
noun
 
 
From the Topic
Physics and chemistry
C2
Oxford Learner's Dictionaries Word of the Day