Meaning & use
a wallpaper
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Meanings
nouncountable
A single sheet or roll of decorative paper used to cover walls, or a particular design of such paper.
Grammar: Countable when referring to a specific type or piece; uncountable when referring to the material in general.
Patterns
- a wallpaper with a pattern
- choose a wallpaper
She picked a floral wallpaper for the bedroom.
This wallpaper has a repeating pattern of small birds.
They bought three rolls of a striped wallpaper.
nouncountablecomputing
A background image or pattern on a computer or phone screen.
Grammar: Countable; you can say 'a wallpaper' or 'wallpapers' for different designs.
Patterns
- set a wallpaper
- change the wallpaper
He set a picture of his dog as the wallpaper on his phone.
I like to change my wallpaper every month.
That wallpaper is too busy for a desktop background.
Word forms
| plural | wallpapers |
|---|
Common combinations
- wallpaper paste
- We need to buy wallpaper paste before we start hanging the paper.
- hang wallpaper
- They spent the weekend hanging wallpaper in the living room.
- floral wallpaper
- The 1970s-style floral wallpaper is back in fashion.
- set as wallpaper
- You can set this photo as wallpaper on your laptop.
Synonyms and how they differ
- wall covering
- A broader term that includes wallpaper, paint, tiles, and other materials used to cover walls.
- background
- In computing, 'background' is the general term for the image behind icons; 'wallpaper' is more specific to the decorative image itself.
Word family
- wallpaper verb
- To cover a wall with wallpaper.
- wallpapered adjective
- Covered with wallpaper.
Commonly confused: a wallpaper or wall paper?
a wallpaper vs wall paper
The correct spelling is one word: 'wallpaper'. 'Wall paper' is not standard.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'a wallpaper' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Option 1 is correct because 'a wallpaper' can refer to a specific design or type of wallpaper. Option 0 is wrong because 'wallpaper' as a material is uncountable; you would say 'wallpaper' without 'a'. Option 2 is wrong because you don't 'paint' wallpaper; you hang it. Option 3 is wrong because 'wallpaper paste' is the glue, not the paper itself.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a wallpaper”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.