dime novel

noun

Definition of dime novel

: a usually paperback melodramatic novel especially : one popular in the U.S. from about the mid-19th century to the early 20th often featuring a Western theme

Examples of dime novel in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But the frontier was closed, and its memory was already being turned into myth in dime novels, westerns, and Wild West shows. — David Treuer, Harper's magazine, "2020 Vision," 10 Jan. 2019 Westerns have been selling variations on this sort of story since the silent days (and in dime novels before that). — Michael Phillips, Detroit Free Press, "Review: ‘The Rider’ is a Western like no other," 18 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dime novel.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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