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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

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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.

Think small, perishable, and plausibly ironic like a single excellent chocolate bar, a slim paperback with a clever premise, or a novelty that suggests taste rather than effort.

From The Wall Street Journal

Beginning this spring, the Swedish streaming service will allow premium subscribers in the U.S. and U.K. to buy hardcovers and paperbacks through its app, in partnership with Bookshop.org.

From The Wall Street Journal

The common area has an old TV, a worn-out sofa missing cushions, and a bookshelf full of dog-eared paperbacks and bent-up board games.

From Literature

A faded paperback with a scaly creature on the front.

From Literature

She handed Coal a slim paperback by someone named Danez Smith.

From Literature

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.