adj
Meaning 1
Having flexible binding.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
paperback
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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Received-Pronunciation: /ˈpeɪ.pə.bæk/
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General-American: /ˈpeɪ.pɚˌbæk/
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US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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CMU ARPABET: P EY1 P ER0 B AE2 K Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
A book with flexible binding.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 3
To issue or publish (a book) in a paperback edition.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
Topics: media, publishing
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adjective satellite
Meaning 4
(of books) having a flexible binding
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: paperbacked
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 5
a book with paper covers
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: paperback book, paper-back book, softback book, softback, soft-cover book, soft-cover
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: book, volume
Narrower terms: pocketbook, pocket book, pocket edition
History
Etymology
From paper + back, a shortening of the older term paper-backed book.
Across languages
Translations
36 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Bulgarian: с меки корици (s meki korici) — having flexible binding
- Bulgarian: с тънки корици (s tǎnki korici) — having flexible binding
- Catalan: en rústica — having flexible binding
- Dutch: paperback — having flexible binding
- Finnish: pehmeäkantinen — having flexible binding
- Finnish: nidottu — having flexible binding
- French: broché — having flexible binding
- German: broschiert — having flexible binding
- Greek: χαρτόδετος (chartódetos) — having flexible binding
- Hindi: पत्रावरणबद्ध (patrāvraṇbaddh) — having flexible binding
- Hungarian: puha fedelű/fedeles/kötésű/táblás — having flexible binding
- Hungarian: fűzött — having flexible binding
- Hungarian: kartonált — having flexible binding
- Tagalog: rustika — having flexible binding
- Afrikaans: sagteband — book
- Bulgarian: кни́га с ме́ки кори́ци (kníga s méki koríci) — book
- Bulgarian: книга с тънки корици (kniga s tǎnki korici) — book
- Dutch: paperback — book
- Esperanto: broŝuro — book
- Finnish: taskukirja — book
- Finnish: pokkari — book
- French: livre broché — book
- German: Broschur — book
- Greek: χαρτόδετο βιβλίο (chartódeto vivlío) — book
- Hindi: पत्रावरणबद्ध पुस्तक (patrāvraṇbaddh pustak) — book
- Hindi: पेपरबैक (peparbaik) — book
- Icelandic: pappírskilja — book
- Polish: miękka okładka — book
- Portuguese: brochura — book
- Russian: кни́га в мя́гкой обло́жке (kníga v mjáxkoj oblóžke) — book
- Scottish Gaelic: còmhdach bog — book
- Spanish: libro de bolsillo — book
- Spanish: libro de tapa blanda — book
- Swedish: pocket — book
- Swedish: pocketbok — book
- Swedish: häftad — book
Real reading context