paperback

[ pey-per-bak ]

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

/ ˈpeɪpəˌbæk /

noun

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

adjective

1. of or denoting a paperback or publication of paperbacks

verb

1. to publish in paperback

Derived Forms

• ˈpaperˌbacker, noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of paperback¹

First recorded in 1895–1900; paper + back ¹

Example Sentences

The paperback version of All We Can Save is published July 20.

From Time

Last year, I covered how the rise in Millennial political engagement would shape the country in my book, The Ones We’ve Been Waiting For, which is out in paperback this week.

From Time

Little more than a flying camera with a minimum of storage, communication, power and movement, the sub-kilogram Unicorn-2 is about the size of a soda can, with paperback-size solar panel wings, and costs in the neighborhood of $10,000.

From TechCrunch

Despite its capacity, the XG is only about the size of a paperback book, which makes it easy to move around.

From Popular-Science

Here’s one brief passage that we asked her to read — page 7 of the paperback if you want to follow along.

From Freakonomics

Paperback publishers distributed their titles in African-American neighborhoods because it expanded their market base.

From The Daily Beast

What had been the greatest asset of the paperback revolution,” observes Rabinowitz, “became its greatest danger.

From The Daily Beast

On the back cover of the first paperback edition we get a glimpse of the media buzz.

From The Daily Beast

Orphans is a true literary relic: a small shapely paperback that is tough to track down, thanks to a limited print run.

From The Daily Beast

Knopf has sold more than 400,000 copies, and the book has never been out of print in hardcover or paperback.

From The Daily Beast

The present edition by the University Press of Virginia reproduces the 1957 one, but in convenient paperback form.

From Project Gutenberg

Since 1946 he has been editor of a publishing house specializing in paperback books.

From Project Gutenberg

He realized that the kid had a paperback book stuck in the waistband of his bangbanger shorts, which was unusual.

From Project Gutenberg

This book is available in both a hardcover and paperback edition.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• album
• booklet
• brochure
• copy
• dictionary
• edition
• essay
• fiction
• magazine
• manual
• novel
• pamphlet
• publication
• text
• textbook
• tome
• volume
• work
• writing