paperback

[pey-per-bak] /ˈpeɪ pərˌbæk/

noun

a book bound in a flexible paper cover, often a lower-priced edition of a hardcover book.

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.

Also, softcover; paperbound

[pey-per-bound] /ˈpeɪ pərˌbaʊnd/ (Show IPA), softbound (for defs 1, 2).

Compare hardcover.

Origin

1895-1900; paper + back¹

Examples from the web for paperback

Light and handsome paperback-size device can store dozens of books.
It's a pocket-size paperback, but it's chock-full of wonderful things.
It's not unusual for the paperback edition of a book to include some corrections from the hardcover.
There are organizations that ship paperback books to our troops overseas and to hospitals in your area.
It's not unusual for the paperback edition of a book to include some corrections from the hardcover.
We discussed his readings and radio appearances, chatted about the fact that the paperback was in its fourth printing.
The cloth went through four printings and the paperback is now in its seventh printing.
Each is about the size of a small paperback novel, wired to the pump but implanted in the abdomen.
One student follows along in a paperback that is held together with duct tape.
Then he grabs a slim paperback off a shelf and hurls it at my shoulder.

British Dictionary definitions for paperback

/ˈpeɪpəˌbæk/

noun

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

adjective

of or denoting a paperback or publication of paperbacks

verb (transitive)

to publish in paperback

Derived Forms

paperbacker, noun

Word Origin and History for paperback

1899, from paper (n.) + back (n.). Adjective paper-backed attested from 1888.