paperback

[ pey-per-bak ]

/ ˈpeɪ pərˌbæk /

SEE 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.

Words nearby paperback

paper-pusher, paper-shelled, paper-thin, paper-train, 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. 2020

Examples from the Web for paperback

Paperback publishers distributed their titles in African-American neighborhoods because it expanded their market base.
How Pulp Fiction Saved Literature|Wendy Smith|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
What had been the greatest asset of the paperback revolution,” observes Rabinowitz, “became its greatest danger.
How Pulp Fiction Saved Literature|Wendy Smith|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
On the back cover of the first paperback edition we get a glimpse of the media buzz.
Living Black & Gay in the ’50s|Alain Mabanckou|December 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Knopf has sold more than 400,000 copies, and the book has never been out of print in hardcover or paperback.
‘The Power Broker’ Turns 40: How Robert Caro Wrote a Masterpiece|Scott Porch|September 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST

LaBrava won the Edgar award in 1984; the paperback rights went for $360,000—his first big score with the publishers.
Elmore Leonard’s Rocky Road to Fame and Fortune|Mike Lupica|September 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Since 1946 he has been editor of a publishing house specializing in paperback books.
The Secret of the Ninth Planet|Donald Allen Wollheim
This book is available in both a hardcover and paperback edition.
The Loom of Youth|Alec Waugh
He realized that the kid had a paperback book stuck in the waistband of his bangbanger shorts, which was unusual.
Makers|Cory Doctorow

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 forms of paperback

paperbacker, 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

paperback

noun

adjective

Words related to paperback

Words nearby paperback

Origin of paperback

Examples from the Web for paperback

British Dictionary definitions for paperback

noun

adjective Also: paperbound, soft-cover

verb (tr)

Derived forms of paperback