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wiki

American  
[wik-ee] / ˈwɪk i /

noun

  • wikis
    plural
  1. (sometimes initial capital letter) a website that allows users to add, delete, or revise content by using a web browser: Students who contribute to the class review wiki may earn extra credit points on their exams.

    The wiki has character descriptions and image galleries for every game in the franchise.

    Students who contribute to the class review wiki may earn extra credit points on their exams.

    Research and development team members should all have permission to edit the design wikis for all current projects.

  2. Also called wiki application.  Also called wiki engine,.  the software used to create a wiki.


adjective

  1. of, relating to, or being a wiki.

    wiki servers.

wiki British  
/ ˈwɪkɪ /

noun

    1. a web application that allows anyone visiting a website to edit content on it

    2. ( as modifier )

      wiki technology

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of wiki

First recorded in 1990–95; shortening of WikiWikiWeb, a software program developed by Howard G. “Ward” Cunningham (born 1949), U.S. computer programmer; from Hawaiian wikiwiki “very quick,” emphatic reduplication of wiki “quick.” Cunningham coined the name WikiWikiWeb after recalling that a Honolulu International Airport counter employee advised him to take the Wiki Wiki Shuttle (a shuttle bus that runs between the terminals of the airport); his original idea was to make WikiWikiWeb's pages readily editable by its users and initially thought about calling his program QuickWeb but changed his mind and named it WikiWikiWeb

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

On Tuesday, ICEList’s wiki was restricted from Meta’s platforms after publicly asking for information on the federal agent responsible for Alex Pretti’s death.

From Slate Jan. 28, 2026

There’s no need to delay changes until some distant future print run; the whole point of a wiki is that you can always make an edit.

From Slate Apr. 12, 2025

In 2010, it became a moderated wiki and now is run by about 170 international volunteer editors who wrangle 50 or more new submissions a day.

From New York Times May 21, 2023

“The wiki community is challenging the Wikimedia Foundation’s right or ability to run fundraising ads on English Wikipedia,” said Lane Rasberry, a long-term Wikipedian and data scientist at the University of Virginia.

From Slate Dec. 2, 2022

In fact, I help run a wiki that has tons of information on that character.

From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas

The answer now and always has been various wikis or handy fan-created charts like this one:

From Salon Jul. 23, 2024

Pageviews across D&D-related wikis rose 9% after the first official “Honor Among Thieves” trailer dropped.

From Los Angeles Times Mar. 31, 2023

As far as wikis go, Wikipedia is still the gold standard in terms of public recognition and search engine relevance.

From Slate Jul. 7, 2022

If you’re a really diehard person you’ll probably go on wikis and Reddit and really fall down the rabbit hole to figure out those things,” he says.

From The Verge Aug. 6, 2021

The web 2.0 has been based on community and sharing, with a wealth of websites whose content has been supplied by users, such as blogs, wikis, social networks and collaborative encyclopedias.

From The eBook is 40 (1971-2011) by Marie Lebert

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