chapbook

noun

chap·​book ˈchap-ˌbu̇k How to pronounce chapbook (audio)
Synonyms of chapbooknext
: a small book containing ballads, poems, tales, or tracts

Examples of chapbook in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Her chapbook, The White Swallow, was selected by Aimee Bender as the winner of the Gold Line Press Chapbook Competition; her short fiction has been anthologized in Best American Nonrequired Reading and has appeared in The Kenyon Review and The Iowa Review. Literary Hub, 28 Jan. 2026 Over the next 300 years, chapbooks and broadside ballads became mainstays in Britain. Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 8 Nov. 2025 The students spend the semester writing and polishing a novel excerpt, memoir excerpt, or chapbook length collection of poetry. The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 22 Sep. 2025 The project will also feature the creation of large-scale murals with local muralists and student artists from Detroit schools, along with the production of an audio poetry chapbook highlighting the city’s diverse voices. Nour Rahal, Freep.com, 8 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for chapbook

Word History

Etymology

chapman + book

First Known Use

1775, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of chapbook was in 1775

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Cite this Entry

“Chapbook.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chapbook. Accessed 13 Feb. 2026.

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