noun

paperback

PAY-puh-bak

noun

A book bound in a flexible paper cover rather than a stiff board one.

"She picked up a cheap paperback for the flight."

"The hardback comes out first; the paperback follows months later."

How to Use Paperback

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA book with a soft, bendable cover, usually cheaper than a hardcover edition.

Common pairings

a paperback edition paperback novel

paperbacked past tense, paperbacks plural, paperbacks singular

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Can you complete this real example?

She picked up a cheap _____ for the flight.

From paper + back, shortened from the older phrase "paper-backed book."

quarterback