pamphlet
Americannoun
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a complete publication of generally less than 80 pages stitched or stapled together and usually having a paper cover.
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a short treatise or essay, generally a controversial tract, on some subject of contemporary interest.
a political pamphlet.
noun
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a brief publication generally having a paper cover; booklet
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a brief treatise, often on a subject of current interest, published in pamphlet form
Other Word Forms
- pamphletary adjective
Etymology
Origin of pamphlet
1375–1425; late Middle English pamflet < Anglo-Latin panfletus, pamfletus, syncopated variant of Pamphiletus, diminutive of Medieval Latin Pamphilus, title of a 12th-century Latin comedy. See -et
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.
Here is more information from the Social Security Administration’s pamphlet on receiving benefits while outside of the U.S.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 2026
During the referendum debate, he wrote a pamphlet taking the Unionist view.
From BBC • Feb. 3, 2026
A pamphlet instructed audiences on “How to Enjoy James Joyce’s ‘Ulysses.’”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026
He said it was understood based on the 1st Amendment that a political candidate may walk up to a house and knock on the door or drop off a pamphlet.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 20, 2026
Mohammed left and came back moments later, holding what looked like a pamphlet.
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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.
