Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

paperback

American  
[pey-per-bak] / ˈpeɪ pərˌbæk /
Also softcover;

noun

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

adjective

  1. (of a book) bound in a flexible paper cover.

    a paperback edition of Orwell's novel.

  2. of, for, or pertaining to paperbacks.

    a paperback bookstore.
paperback British  
/ ˈpeɪpəˌbæk /

noun

  1. a book or edition with covers made of flexible card, sold relatively cheaply Compare hardback

"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

  1. of or denoting a paperback or publication of paperbacks

"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

verb

  1. to publish in 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

Other Word Forms

  • paperbacker noun

Etymology

Origin of paperback

First recorded in 1895–1900; paper + back 1

Compare meaning

How does paperback compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

Explanation

A paperback is a book with a paper cover, instead of a soft cover. If you wait to buy a book until it comes out as a paperback, you'll save money. In the 1830s and 40s, publishers began offering inexpensive versions of already-published books with paper covers, and the word paperback followed in 1888. Paperbacks are popular because they're smaller, lighter, and less expensive than their stiffly bound hardcover counterparts. A paperback edition of a book is usually released about a year after the book is first published in hardcover, although some books, called paperback originals, are published only in paperback form.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

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.

Upon closer inspection, though, the clues were visible: the group’s relaxed pace, the bountiful tote bags, the occasional flash of a paperback.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026

“It ranges from like, something you’d read in your freshman year of philosophy to something that was a 1970s airport paperback thriller.”

From Salon • Mar. 23, 2026

But what I think is more notable is how I do it: I read only hardcover or paperback books.

From Slate • Mar. 8, 2026

It lands somewhere between Disney fairy tale, ’80s romance paperback art and old Hollywood glamour.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 11, 2026

Jake noticed a sci-fi paperback open in his lap.

From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein

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.