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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.

To my astonishment, standing on its end, facing out, was an unsigned first edition hardback of John Irving’s 15th novel, “The Last Chairlift.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 8, 2026

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

It became the bestselling adult debut hardback of 2024, according to The Bookseller.

From BBC • Mar. 6, 2025

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