notebook
Americannoun
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They checked the sergeant's notebook for clues to his whereabouts.
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a book or binder of blank, often ruled, pages on which to write, especially one used by students to take notes in class.
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a book in which promissory notes are entered, registered, recorded, etc.
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Digital Technology. a small, lightweight laptop computer.
noun
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a book for recording notes or memoranda
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a book for registering promissory notes
Etymology
Origin of notebook
Explanation
A notebook is a blank book that you can write in. Students often carry notebooks, where they can take notes (and doodle). The pages in a notebook are often lined, so that you can write neatly. You might keep one for writing to-do lists or thoughts (like a journal), or your notebooks might all be large binders full of class notes and math problems. Notebooks can be bound like books, or with a spiral metal or plastic binding, or consist of loose pages in a three-ring binder. Another, newer kind of notebook is a slim, lightweight laptop computer.
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.
On a recent Saturday morning, Joel Galvez cracked open a spiral notebook and scribbled in the date and a prayer: “Dios bendiga este día. Amen.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 7, 2026
Ava steps away for a moment, giving Deborah an opportunity to reach for her notebook to scribble a thought . . . then it happens.
From Salon • May 29, 2026
From time to time, he’d scribble in a small spiral notebook.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 3, 2026
Corning makes the glass for notebook computers, desktop monitors, televisions, and other information display applications.
From Barron's • Apr. 16, 2026
“Rejewski,” says Marion, making a quick scribble in her notebook.
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
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.
