What does xerox mean?
Xerox is a word used for both a photocopy and the machine that produces one, and it can also function as a verb meaning to photocopy. In everyday English, people commonly say that they Xeroxed a document or sent something to the Xerox, especially in offices and schools. The term originally belonged to a trademarked copying process and company, but it became so closely associated with photocopying that it was widely adopted as a generic word. Its use can sound informal or somewhat old-fashioned in formal writing, where photocopy is usually clearer and more neutral. Xerox also carries a mild association with office life, bureaucratic paperwork, and the technology of dry electrostatic copying. Despite its commercial origins, the word is now a familiar part of standard English.
A photocopy, or a machine used to make photocopies.
"The library has a Xerox available for students."
The machine sense is especially common in workplace and institutional contexts.
To make a photocopy of a document or other text.
"Please Xerox the pages and bring them to class."
Usually transitive; it can also occur in the passive form “was Xeroxed.”
The regular plural of the noun is “xeroxes,” especially in the sense of photocopying machines.
"The office has three xeroxes on the second floor."
Born as a company trademark, Xerox became so widely used for copying that the brand name effectively turned into an everyday verb.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of xerox
The name Xerox was created in the early twentieth century by the Haloid Company for its copying process. It was formed from the Greek xeros, meaning “dry,” together with the suffix -ox, reflecting the dry process used in xerography. The trademarked name subsequently became so closely identified with photocopying that it came to be used generically as a noun and a verb.
Related word forms
How xerox is actually used
The word is common in everyday and workplace speech and can sound informal or dated in formal writing, where photocopy is often preferable. In British English the pronunciation is commonly closer to “zeer-oks,” while American English typically uses “zeer-aks.”
Easily confused with xerox
A photocopy is the resulting paper copy, while a Xerox can also refer to the machine or to the act of making such a copy.