Definitions and Meanings From Over a Dozen Trusted Dictionary Sources (2024)

FAQs

Which dictionary has the best definitions? ›

More than a dictionary, the OED is a comprehensive guide to current and historical word meanings in English. The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is widely accepted as the most complete record of the English language ever assembled.

Dictionary.com. Meanings & Definitions of English Words.

An online dictionary resource, such as Dictionary.com, can give users direct, immediate access to the definitions of a term, allowing them to compare definitions from various dictionaries and stay up to date with an ever-expanding vocabulary.

For more than 150 years, in print and now online, Merriam-Webster has been America's leading and most-trusted provider of language information.

Rizz is short for “charisma,” and it simply means an ability to charm and woo a person. It's pronounced, well, rizz, just like it's spelled. The term found its way into teen slang through TikTok and other social media. Rizz isn't being hot — though that can be part of it.

Basic definitions of words are found in dictionaries, while scholarly definitions typically come from scholarly journal articles or books.

The definition of terms is typically provided in the introduction or literature review section of the paper. It ensures that there is a common understanding of the terminology used throughout the research, avoiding any confusion or misinterpretation.

The use of wwww to represent laughing comes from the Japanese wara (笑), “to laugh.” With the rise of text-messaging and the internet in the 1990s–2000s, Japanese users adapted the kanji 笑 to denote laughter, similar to LOL. People eventually found it easier, though, to use the letter w, from the romaji of 笑, wara.

What is the best dictionary resource? ›

Merriam-Webster: America's Most Trusted Dictionary.

Free online dictionary, thesaurus and reference materials

Collins online dictionary and reference resources draw on the wealth of reliable and authoritative information about language, thanks to the extensive use of our corpora - vast databases of language - both in English and in other languages.

The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is widely regarded as the accepted authority on the English language. It is an unsurpassed guide to the meaning, history, and usage of 500,000 words and phrases past and present, from across the English-speaking world.

Other publishers may use the name Webster, but only Merriam-Webster products are backed by over 150 years of accumulated knowledge and experience. The Merriam-Webster name is your assurance that a reference work carries the quality and authority of a company that has been publishing since 1831.

While the Oxford English Dictionary gives you the meaning of the word as well as its origin, the Cambridge Dictionary gives a more practical explanation along with an example of how to use the word in a sentence.

The word with the most meanings in English is the verb 'set', with 430 senses listed in the Second Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary, published in 1989. The word commands the longest entry in the dictionary at 60,000 words, or 326,000 characters.

The Pocket Oxford English Dictionary provides over 120,000 words, phrases and definitions. It covers all the words you need for everyday use, hundreds of spellings and usage notes in alphabetic order.

Merriam-Webster is “synchronic,” meaning it concentrates on current, active vocabulary. The OED is “diachronic,” written from a historical perspective. The two philosophies are complementary, not opposed, but that often means a word has to be in use longer to make the OED than it might take to get into M-W.