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paperback

[ pey-per-bak ]
/ ˈpeɪ pərˌbæk /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR paperback ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a book bound in a flexible paper cover, often a lower-priced edition of a hardcover book.

adjective

(of a book) bound in a flexible paper cover: a paperback edition of Orwell's novel.
of, for, or pertaining to paperbacks: a paperback bookstore.

RELATED WORDS

story, yarn, fiction, tale, narrative, prose, novella, essay, album, novel, publication, dictionary, pamphlet, text, work, manual, textbook, volume, edition, magazine

Nearby words

paper-shelled, paper-thin, paper-train, paper-weight, paper-white narcissus, paperback, paperbark, paperbark maple, paperboard, paperboy, paperclip
Also softcover; pa·per·bound [pey-per-bound] /ˈpeɪ pərˌbaʊnd/, softbound (for defs 1, 2).
Compare hardcover.

Origin of paperback

First recorded in 1895–1900; paper + back1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for paperback

British Dictionary definitions for paperback

paperback

/ (ˈpeɪpəˌbæk) /

noun

a book or edition with covers made of flexible card, sold relatively cheaplyCompare hardback

adjective Also: paperbound, soft-cover

of or denoting a paperback or publication of paperbacks

verb (tr)

to publish in paperback
Derived Formspaperbacker, noun
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

Word Origin and History for paperback

paperback

n.

1899, from paper (n.) + back (n.). Adjective paper-backed attested from 1888.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper