From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcopycop‧y1 /ˈkɒpi $ ˈkɑːpi/ ●●● S1 W2 noun (plural copies) 1 [countable]COPY something that is made to be exactly like another thingcopy of She forwarded them a copy of her British passport. This chair is a copy of an original design. Be sure to make copies of all the documents. back-up copies of your files2 [countable]TCN one of many books, magazines, records etc that are all exactly the samecopy of We have six copies of the movie to give away. a copy of the local newspaper The hardback costs £16.99 a copy. The record sold a million copies. Free copies are available on request.3 [uncountable]TCN technical something written in order to be printed in a newspaper, magazine, advertisement etc Now that I’ve seen the finished copy, I’m delighted.4 → good copy → fair copy, hard copy, soft copyCOLLOCATIONSverbsbe a copy of somethingThe rug is a copy of a fine Chinese carpet. make a copy of somethingMake a copy of the letter before you send it.keep a copy of something (also retain a copy of something formal)Did you keep a copy of the email?send/receive a copy of somethingCould you send me a copy of the agreement?attach a copy of something (=in an email)I’m attaching a copy of the schedule.ADJECTIVES/NOUN + copy a good copy (=one that is very like the original)The painting is a good copy of the original.a close copy (=a good copy)It is a close copy of a bronze figure found in Iceland.a back-up copy (=made in case the original is lost)Be sure you regularly make back-up copies of your data.
Examples from the Corpus
copy• More than 85,000 copies of the magazine sold within three weeks.• I don't have my original birth certificate. Will you accept a copy?• Anyone wanting to buy a copy, only 100 were printed and of these twenty were sold on the day of publication.• The application was sent in June, and this is a copy.• The menu driven screen allows you to setup a copy session in seconds.• All copy must be on my desk by Monday morning.• a 19th century copy of the popular Rembrandt painting• For a free copy, call 555-9121.• Hilda Hewitt had copies of two posters run off on the Office photo-copier.• Connie left copies of the document on everybody's desk.• Most of them, however, had pulled copies of the Globe because the supermarket tabloid published copies of grisly crime-scene photographs.• During one marathon meeting that went on far into the night, some copies of documents had to be made.• The copies are then filed in date of arrival order.back-up copies• If back-up copies are permitted under any licence agreement, the number of back-up copies made should not exceed that agreed to.• Users of software should confirm that they may make back-up copies of any programs they have acquired.• Finally, make sure you regularly make back-up copies of your data.• The Act, as amended, makes specific provision for the making of back-up copies of computer programs.• The Act recognizes the possibility that back-up copies may have been made.Free copies• A companion brochure summaries Negretti Automation's full process control & weighing range. Free copies of both are available on request. copycopy2 ●●● S2 verb (copied, copying, copies) 1 [intransitive, transitive]COPY to deliberately make or produce something that is exactly like another thing Could you copy this letter and send it out, please? To copy a file, press F3.copy (something) from something a design copied from an 18th-century wallpaper The pupils just copy from textbooks and learn facts.copy something into something He copied the number into his notebook (=wrote the same number there).2 [transitive]IMITATE to deliberately do something that someone else has done or behave like someone else Children often copy what they see on television. I found myself copying him and his mannerisms.3 [intransitive, transitive]COPY to cheat in an examination, schoolwork etc by looking at someone else’s work and writing the same thing as they havecopy from Jeremy had copied from the girl next to him.THESAURUScopy to deliberately make or produce something that is exactly like another thingYou could copy the files onto a CD.Many people have tried to copy his paintings.photocopy to copy a piece of paper with writing or pictures on it, using a machineI’ll photocopy the letter and give it to you.reproduce to print a copy of a picture or document, especially in a book or newspaperThe image has been reproduced in many magazines and newspapers around the world.forge to illegally copy something written or printedHe forged my signature.forged £10 notespirate to illegally copy and sell something such as a book, DVD, or computer programThe survey suggests that 27% of software in the UK has been pirated. → copy something ↔ down → copy somebody in → copy something ↔ out → copy something ↔ up→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
copy• Copy all the files onto disk.• Martin often claimed he copied Bing Crosby's singing style, but there was much more to his music than that.• Instead of copying coats of arms, she drew and painted freehand.• She was expelled for handing in an essay that she had copied directly from a newspaper article.• Several honors students were caught copying each other's answers.• The drawings had been copied from photographs.• In retrospect he criticized one of his old drawing masters for encouraging students to copy from photographs.• He began playing the guitar at age 7, copying his older brother Jimmie.• If I see anyone copying I'll send you straight to the principal's office.• The only way I made it through high school was by copying off my best friend.• And a lot of the stuff he and Jerry Lee Lewis did was copied off Pinetop and what we were doing.• Can you get the letter copied right away? I need 500 of them.• The company has been accused of copying software ideas from larger competitors.• Most of his answers had been copied straight from the student who sat next to him.• Copy the file onto a disk to save it.• Copy the files into a new folder.• She copied the poem from an old book of Grandma's in the attic.• Each artist was asked to copy the scene exactly as he or she saw it.• Children learn swearing from copying their parents and siblings.• I need to copy these phone numbers into my address book.• They were arrested for illegally copying video recordings.• Care needs to be taken with medical records and old original documents that do not copy well.• Any student caught copying will fail the test.• Can I copy your notes?From Longman Business Dictionarycopycop‧y1 /ˈkɒpiˈkɑːpi/ noun (plural copies)1[countable] one of many documents, books, magazines, computer software packages etc that are all exactly the sameWe are offering a free copy of Windows98 with all new PCs.The book sold 24,000 copies in the first three months.2[countable] a letter, document etc that has been made to look exactly like another one, for example by being PHOTOCOPIED (=copied using a special machine called a photocopier)Please send copies of all the relevant documents to me as soon as possible.3[uncountable] written material that is to be printed in a newspaper, magazine etcOur closing date for copy for the next issue is February 14.six pages of double-spaced copy4[uncountable]MARKETING the written part of an advertisement“The business of fitness and good health is healthier than ever, ” or so says the advertising copy for the National Exhibition of Health & Leisure.5[countable]COMPUTING a computer program, CD etc that has been made by putting information or music from another one onto a disk. It is illegal to sell copies made in this wayselling pirated copies of computer games6[countable]COMPUTING a file, DIRECTORY etc in which you have put all the same information as is in another oneBefore you run this software, you should make a copy of your autoexec.bat file. → back-up copy → hard copycopycopy2 verb (past tense and past participle copied) [transitive]1to make a copy of a letter, document etcCould you copy these letters before you send them out?copy something to somebodyThe letter was copied to the managing director.2LAWto deliberately use an idea, design etc that legally belongs to someone elseThey have issued a patent infringement lawsuit accusing their rivals of copying their design for a range of ready meals.3COMPUTINGto illegally make a copy of a computer program, CD, etca new way to protect software from being copiedillegal software copying4COMPUTINGto make a file, DIRECTORY, program etc that is exactly the same as another one so that you can use it if something happens to the original oneThe best way to save an email is to copy it to a file.You can copy, delete, or tag files in a matter of seconds.→ See Verb tableOrigin copy1 (1300-1400) Old French copie, from Latin copia; → COPIOUS 