What does "copy" mean?

1. (a duplicate) something that is made to look exactly like another thing. 2. (an individual book or magazine) one single example of a book, newspaper, or magazine. 3. (written text for publication) the words written for an advertisement, a newspaper, or a website. 4. (to duplicate) to make something that is exactly like something else. 5. (to imitate) to behave or do something in the same way as another person. 6. (to send a duplicate message) to send a message or email to someone who is not the main receiver. 7. (to hear clearly) to hear and understand a message over a radio.

copy — meaning, definition & examples

Word

01a duplicate

A2 · Elementary Countable noun

n. something that is made to look exactly like another thing.

n. an identical or nearly identical reproduction of an original object, document, or digital file.

“I made a copy of the house keys so my roommate could have a set.”

“The archivist insisted on making a high-resolution digital copy of the manuscript before allowing any further physical handling of the fragile original.”

Synonyms

duplicate reproduction replica

Antonyms

original

02an individual book or magazine

A2 · Elementary Countable noun

n. one single example of a book, newspaper, or magazine.

n. a single specimen of a particular publication or edition.

“The library has three copies of the new novel available to borrow.”

“The author spent the afternoon signing copies of her latest biography for a long queue of eager readers at the local bookstore.”

Synonyms

volume issue

03written text for publication

B2 · Upper Intermediate Uncountable noun Computing Technical

n. the words written for an advertisement, a newspaper, or a website.

n. textual matter intended for printing or publication, particularly in journalism or advertising. Uncountable in this sense.

“The marketing team needs to finish the ad copy by tomorrow morning.”

“The editor rejected the initial draft, claiming the copy was too dry and failed to engage the magazine's target demographic.”

Synonyms

text content script

04to duplicate

A2 · Elementary

v. to make something that is exactly like something else.

v. to produce a duplicate of an original; in computing, to transfer data to a buffer or another location.

“Please copy these documents and hand them out to everyone in the meeting.”

“The software allows users to copy entire directories to an external drive with a single command, ensuring a reliable backup of all essential data.”

Synonyms

duplicate replicate photocopy

05to imitate

B1 · Intermediate

v. to behave or do something in the same way as another person.

v. to follow as a pattern or model; to mimic the actions or style of another.

“Young children often copy the way their parents speak and move.”

“The apprentice spent years trying to copy his master's unique brushwork before finally developing a style of his own.”

Synonyms

imitate mimic ape

Antonyms

innovate

06to send a duplicate message

B1 · Intermediate

v. to send a message or email to someone who is not the main receiver.

v. to send a duplicate of a communication to a third party, often using the 'CC' function in email.

“Could you copy me on that email so I can stay updated on the project?”

“The manager requested to be copied in on all correspondence regarding the contract negotiations to ensure transparency across the department.”

Usage

Often used with 'in' as in 'copy someone in'.

Synonyms

07to hear clearly

B2 · Upper Intermediate Informal

v. to hear and understand a message over a radio.

v. to receive and understand a radio transmission successfully.

“Loud and clear, I copy you.”

“The pilot confirmed the instructions from the control tower with a brief 'copy that' before beginning the final approach to the runway.”

Synonyms

understand receive

Etymology tree Middle English copy English copy From Middle English copy, copie, from Old French copie (“abundance, plenty; transcript, copy”), from Medieval Latin copia (“reproduction, transcript”), from Latin cōpia (“plenty, abundance”), from *coopia, from co- (“together”) + ops (“wealth, riches”). More at opulent.

Etymology tree Latin cōps Proto-Indo-European *-yós Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -ius Latin -ia Latin cōpia Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin cōpiō Old French copierbor. Middle English copien English copy From Middle English copien, from Old French copier and Medieval Latin cōpiō.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

NOUN

copy(A2)

cop Cut