Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for carbon copy. Search instead for carbon+copy.
Synonyms

carbon copy

American  

noun

    1. a duplicate of anything written or typed, made by using a photocopier or, formerly, by using carbon paper. cc

    2. a copy of an email or other electronic document that is sent to one or more people in addition to the primary addressee. cc

  2. a near or exact duplicate of a given person or thing; replica.

    She's a carbon copy of her mother.
carbon copy British  

noun

  1. Often shortened to: carbon.  a duplicate copy of writing, typewriting, or drawing obtained by using carbon paper

  2. informal a person or thing that is identical or very similar to another

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
carbon copy Idioms  

  1. A person or thing that closely resembles another, as in Our grandson is a carbon copy of his dad. Originally this term meant a copy of a document made by using carbon paper. The linguistic transfer to other kinds of duplicate survived the demise of carbon paper (replaced by photocopiers, computer printers, and other more sophisticated devices). [c. 1870]

Etymology

Origin of carbon copy

First recorded in 1890–95

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.