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hardback

American

[hahrd-bak] / ˈhɑrdˌbæk /

noun

hardcover.

hardback British

/ ˈhɑːdˌbæk /

noun

a book or edition with covers of cloth, cardboard, or leather Compare paperback

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

Also: casebound. hardbound. hardcover. of or denoting a hardback or the publication of hardbacks

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of hardback

First recorded in 1740–50; hard + back ¹

Compare meaning

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hardback vs. paperback

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.

It became the bestselling adult debut hardback of 2024.

From BBC • Aug. 27, 2025

Justin Torres: I read this a while ago when it was in rawer form, and now I have this beautiful hardback.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2025

You can often get thick hardback books for a dollar or less.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 22, 2024

More quirky items included two hardback copies of Hyacinth Bucket's books, from the sitcom Keeping up Appearances, which sold for £625 and a Buckingham Palace shower cap which went for £137.50.

From BBC • Jan. 23, 2024

My secret journal was an old hardback copy of The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoyevsky, in which I spent hours writing in a tiny script between the tightly printed lines.

From "Hole in My Life" by Jack Gantos

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