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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.

But what Putnam’s was really after was lucrative Ace Books, Grosset and Dunlap’s mass-market paperback division.

From Salon • Nov. 9, 2023

His approach is more mass-market paperback than literary fiction.

From New York Times • Feb. 14, 2020

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

From The Guardian • Dec. 14, 2019

At the time, used copies of this mass-market paperback from 1985 started at $200 on Amazon.

From Slate • Nov. 15, 2019

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

From Washington Post • Mar. 28, 2019

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.