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softback

American  
[sawft-bak, soft-] / ˈsɔftˌbæk, ˌsɒft- /

noun

  1. paperback.

Etymology

Origin of softback

First recorded in 1965–70; soft + back 1

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.

In the drugstores, however, Jones's paperbacks have sold 5,000,000 copies, and Delacorte Press, hardcover subsidiary of Dell softback publishers, decided to give ex-Private Jones a promotion.

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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.