page
page — noun
1. one numbered side found in books, magazines, or newspapers.
one numbered side found in books, magazines, or newspapers.
The recipe for carrot soup is on page twenty-three.
on page + number
Mina wrote her phone number at the bottom of the page.
A coffee stain covered half the page in Grandpa's newspaper.
Please read the last page before you close the book.
the last page in a book
- on page ten
- the first page
- the last page
- read a page
Grammar Patterns
on page + number
turn to page + number
Usage Note
Usually counted by number or referred to with on, as in on page 12. Distinguish from noun/2, which means the whole sheet rather than one side of it.
Common Mistakes
2. a whole piece of paper inside a book, notebook, or magazine.
a whole piece of paper inside a book, notebook, or magazine.
One loose page fell from the notebook onto the classroom floor.
a loose page
The diary hid a pressed flower between two yellow pages.
Evan tore a page from his sketchbook and handed it over.
tear a page from + book
Several damp pages stuck together after the rainstorm.
- a loose page
- tear out a page
- blank pages
- pages stuck together
Grammar Patterns
tear out a page
a loose page
Usage Note
Unlike noun/1, this sense means the whole sheet, so both sides belong to the same page. It is common with words like loose, torn, folded, and missing.
Common Mistakes
3. one screen or web document that belongs to a website.
one screen or web document that belongs to a website.
The school page lists lunch times and bus routes.
web page with listed information
A broken link sent Rosa to the wrong page.
go to the wrong page
Click the green button to return to the home page.
home page
The payment page froze before Leo finished his order.
- home page
- payment page
- reload the page
- go to the page
Grammar Patterns
home page
go to a page
Usage Note
Often modified by words like home, login, profile, and payment. Distinguish from noun/1, which is a paper page you can hold and turn.
Common Mistakes
4. a boy who served a knight while learning to become one.
a boy who served a knight while learning to become one.
At twelve, Tomas became a page in Lord Harrow's castle.
become a page in a castle
The young page carried Sir Roland's shield to the yard.
Each page learned horseback riding before training with a sword.
training before becoming a knight
During supper, the page stood behind the knight's chair.
- serve a knight
- carry a shield
- train in a castle
- become a page
- squire
a related medieval role, often a later stage of training
- attendant
broader and not limited to knights or training
- serving boy
describes the service role but not the full historical title
Grammar Patterns
serve as a page
a page to a knight
Usage Note
This history sense belongs to medieval life and is closely linked to training for knighthood. Distinguish from noun/5, where the servant is not specifically learning to be a knight.
5. a male servant who stayed close to an important person.
a male servant who stayed close to an important person.
The duke's page held his gloves outside the council room.
the duke's page
A uniformed page opened the coach door for the visiting queen.
The old painting shows a page carrying fruit behind the prince.
At court, each page waited nearby for a lord's call.
page serving an important person
- the prince's page
- wait at court
- open the coach door
- carry gloves
Grammar Patterns
a page to a noble
the duke's page
Usage Note
Usually appears in historical settings and with titles such as duke, prince, or queen. Distinguish from noun/7, which is a job in a modern institution.
6. at a wedding, a small boy going with the bride.
at a wedding, a small boy going with the bride.
Liam smiled proudly as the page carried the bride's train.
page carrying the bride's train
The page dropped one rose petal near the church door.
A shy page hid behind his mother before the ceremony.
The photographer asked the page to stand beside the flower girl.
page beside the flower girl
- carry the bride's train
- walk into the church
- stand beside the flower girl
- a shy page
Grammar Patterns
a page at a wedding
the page and the flower girl
Usage Note
Mostly used in British wedding English. In many other contexts, speakers are more likely to say page boy.
7. a young worker who carries messages and helps people with small jobs.
a young worker who carries messages and helps people with small jobs.
The hotel page brought fresh towels to Room 814.
hotel page + bring things
A page guided visitors from the lobby to the meeting hall.
During the tour, the Senate page answered questions from students.
Senate page
When the phone rang, the office page ran upstairs with a note.
- hotel page
- carry a note
- guide visitors
- answer questions
Grammar Patterns
hotel page
Senate page
Usage Note
Common in set roles such as hotel page or Senate page, and often sounds institution-specific or old-fashioned. Distinguish from noun/5, which is tied to personal service for a noble.
on the same page
idiomWhen people are on the same page, they share the same understanding or goals about something.
The team members are on the same page about the project deadline.
Are you and your partner on the same page regarding the budget?
This refers to information or ideas that appear in books, newspapers, or other printed materials.
Many people still value the printed word over digital content.
She found comfort in the printed page during her travels.
turn the page
idiomTo turn the page means to move on from a difficult situation and start fresh with a positive attitude.
After the divorce, he decided to turn the page and travel.
It's time to turn the page and focus on future opportunities.
page — verb
1. to ask for someone by name over a building's speaker system.
to ask for someone by name over a building's speaker system.
The nurse paged Dr. Lin to the emergency room.
page + person + to + place
Airport staff paged Maya after her passport was found.
During the basketball game, Mr. Chen was paged over the gym speaker.
passive: be paged
Please page the store manager to the front desk.
- page Dr. Lee
- page someone to the desk
- be paged
- page the manager
Grammar Patterns
page + person
page + person + to + place
be paged
Usage Note
The object is the person being called, and the place may follow with to. Unlike verb/2, this sense means a public announcement that others can hear.
Common Mistakes
2. to reach someone by sending a signal to a pager device.
to reach someone by sending a signal to a pager device.
The hospital paged Dr. Wu after midnight, and his beeper rang.
page + person via pager
When the freezer stopped working, Mia paged the repairman from a pay phone.
Before cell phones, doctors often paged one another from pay phones.
older technology context
I paged Ben twice, but he never called back.
page someone and wait for a return call
- page a doctor
- page someone twice
- page from a pay phone
- get paged
Grammar Patterns
page + person
page + person + twice
Usage Note
This sense belongs to the older pager device and often suggests that the other person should call back. Distinguish from verb/1, where the message is spoken aloud in a public place.
Common Mistakes
Word family
- webpagenounA2
- pagernounB2
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
For noun sense 1, page means one numbered reading side in a book, magazine, or newspaper. Sheet is broader and usually means the whole piece of paper, so it is closer to noun/2 than noun/1. Leaf is more technical and often means one physical piece in a bound book, with two pages on it. Side can replace page when you only care about one surface, but it does not strongly suggest a numbered part of a book. Paper is much broader and can mean the material, a document, or even a newspaper. You turn to page 15 in a novel, remove a sheet from a notebook, and write on one side of a card.
Etymology
English page brings together two old words that ended up with the same spelling. The book and website sense came through French from Latin pagina, which first referred to a row of plants and later to a written sheet. The servant sense came through Old French page, probably linked to Italian paggio. Much later, English reused the book sense for what appears on a computer screen and on the internet.