textbook

American  

[tekst-book] / ˈtɛkstˌbʊk /

noun

• textbooks
  plural

1. a book used by students as a standard work for a particular branch of study.

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adjective

1. pertaining to, characteristic of, or seemingly suitable for inclusion in a textbook; typical; classic.

   a textbook case.

textbook British  

/ ˈtɛkstˌbʊk /

noun

1. 1. a book used as a standard source of information on a particular subject

   2. ( as modifier )

      a textbook example

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• textbookish
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• textbooks
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of textbook

First recorded in 1720–30; text + book

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Explanation

A textbook is an informational book that you use specifically for a class at school. Your biology textbook might be so heavy that you dread lugging it to class. Textbooks are manuals written for instruction in a subject, rather than books you might read for fun. Today many students read textbooks in electronic form, rather than as bound hardcovers. Starting around the 19th century (with easy access to printing and standardized education in many parts of the world), textbooks became a common educational tool. Earlier, a textbook was a name for "a book with wide spaces between the lines."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

textbook textbooks

The data-center conflict is a textbook public-goods problem, in which AI users have an incentive to free-ride.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

But, like many luxuries, as they became more popular and more accessible to the masses, the wealthy began pivoting – a textbook example of behaviour known as "counter signalling", Rudolfo says.

From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026

The brain's microscopic wiring may need a different kind of textbook illustration.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 17, 2026

The textbook response to a supply shock is to look through it on the theory that it passes before higher rates take effect.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026

She has the dental textbook hidden beneath our pillow.

From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron

Priorities: Payne wants to make community colleges “cheaper, faster, better” in part by offering students more training for specific jobs and less expensive online textbooks.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

"We realized that the discrepancy between modern computational data and textbooks was larger than we had anticipated."

From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026

On many campuses, there are campaigns either to make textbooks free or to replace textbooks with “digital resources.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

Without a mention there, the illness does not get discussed in medical school textbooks; students do not learn about it, and people do not talk about it much.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

In medical school, the first two years consisted mainly of lecture courses, but Farmer managed, with the blessing of the faculty, to make frequent visits to Haiti, taking his notes and textbooks with him.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

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Related Words

• workbook

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