Meanings
nounpaper town (plural paper towns)
plural paper towns
- cartographyA nonexistent town included on a map in order to identify cases of plagiarism by others.
Synonyms: phantom settlement
- USSynonym of paper township.
Numerous “paper towns” were created often in an effort to block impending municipal annexation advances by existing municipalities.
2018, Russell M. Smith, Municipal Incorporation Activity in the United States: Patterns, People and Procedures, Springer, →ISBN, page 31Synonyms: paper township
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA nonexistent town included on a map in order to identify cases of plagiarism by others.
Similar
nounSynonym of paper township.
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Also see
Cite this entry
APA
paper town. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/paper%20town
MLA
“paper town.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/paper%20town. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “paper town,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/paper%20town.
Source: paper town on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.