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mass-market paperback

American  

noun

  1. a relatively inexpensive paperbound book, typically measuring about 4½ × 7 inches (11 × 18 centimeters), that is distributed on newsstands, in supermarkets, etc., as well as in bookstores.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Tarantino’s novelization of his own 2019 film has been issued in the format of a 1970s-era mass-market paperback, the sort of book you used to find spinning in a drugstore rack.

From New York Times • Jul. 8, 2021

A mass-market paperback shows Lutie decked out in a turtleneck, trench coat and leggings.

From The Guardian • Dec. 14, 2019

The 48-year-old mass-market paperback is, fittingly, rather sullied, with a slightly off odor.

From Washington Post • Mar. 28, 2019

The modest detective drama “Grey Lady” feels as if it might have been adapted from a mass-market paperback.

From Salon • Apr. 29, 2017

I broke into publishing at a time where I got a very modest advance for two paperback originals, mass-market paperback originals.

From Slate • Apr. 13, 2017

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.