paperback

[pey-per-bak]

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.

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

Related Words for paperback

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

Examples from the Web for paperback

Contemporary Examples of 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
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
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
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
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

Historical Examples of paperback

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
Since 1946 he has been editor of a publishing house specializing in paperback books.
The Secret of the Ninth Planet
Donald Allen Wollheim

British Dictionary definitions for paperback

paperback

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

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