paperback

noun

pa·​per·​back ˈpā-pər-ˌbak 

: a book with a flexible paper binding

paperback adjective

or less commonly paperbacked

ˈpā-pər-ˌbakt 

Examples of paperback in a Sentence

The store sells both paperbacks and hardcovers.

The book is sold only in paperback.

Recent Examples on the Web

And finally, Sloane Crosley tells us about the joys of paperback books. —Air Mail, 26 Apr. 2025

Joe, lover of all things romantic, is not interested in romance as a genre — lowbrow, centered on female pleasure, exclusively published in paperback — but in romance as a chivalric gesture (women as conquests, men as heroes, all the books are leather-bound). —Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 24 Apr. 2025

The e-book is available on Amazon Kindle for $8.99 and as a paperback on Amazon for $12.99. —The San Diego Union Tribune, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2025

The actor, 44, is celebrating the trade paperback release of his comic book series The Writer – written in collaboration with Ben and Max Berkowitz – with a golden ticket giveaway à la Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. —Raven Brunner, People.com, 23 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1843, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for paperback

• almanac
• camelback
• cardiac
• carryback
• cluniac
• diamondback
• lumberjack
• maniac
• piggyback
• quarterback
• saddleback
• stickleback

Kids Definition

paperback

noun

pa·​per·​back ˈpä-pər-ˌbak 

: a book with a flexible paper binding

paperback adjective