paperback Syllabification: (pa·per·back)Pronunciation: /ˈpāpərˌbak/Translate paperback | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish Definition of paperback adjective (of a book) bound in stiff paper or flexible cardboard. noun a book bound in stiff paper or flexible cardboard. Phrases in paperback in an edition bound in stiff paper or flexible cardboard:now available in paperbackpaperback in other Oxford dictionaries Definition of paperback in the British & World English dictionary