paperback
Americannoun
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.
noun
adjective
verb
Other Word Forms
- paperbacker noun
Etymology
Origin of paperback
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.
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.
“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
Like many cafes in Hanoi’s Old Quarter, the circa-1946 Café Giảng slots into the hectic, colorful streetscape like a narrow paperback on a library shelf.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026
It’s fitting, then, that the aesthetic has been adopted by Gen Z fiction writers like Honor Levy, whose paperback edition of “My First Book” includes girlish heart stickers on a hot pink background.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 16, 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
“I love these books,” June said, picking up a thin paperback and opening to the first page.
From "Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World" by Ashley Herring Blake
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.
