English dictionary

American  

[ing-glish dik-shuh-ner-ee, ing-lish] / ˈɪŋ glɪʃ ˈdɪk ʃəˌnɛr i, ˈɪŋ lɪʃ /

noun

plural

English dictionaries

1. a dictionary in which most of the entry words and all of their definitions, as well as supplementary material, are in English; a monolingual English dictionary, such as Dictionary.com. Terms from other languages that are commonly used by speakers of English are given language labels and often the foreign as well as Anglicized pronunciations.

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Etymology

Origin of English dictionary

First recorded in 1720–30

Example Sentences

Ragebait has diffused across the structure of the current internet, becoming so omnipresent that the Oxford English Dictionary made it their word of the year for 2025.

From Salon

They add new words to the Oxford English Dictionary every year and 'Dyched' should make it in for 2026.

From BBC

As a young mother, she had done 12 years of night school to earn her B.A. and M.A. in sociology at Concordia University so she could become a professor, and Sarah Cobb recalled Janine keeping an Oxford English Dictionary on a lectern in the family home, Bible-like, for easy reference.

From The Wall Street Journal

Oxford English Dictionary’s word of the year will get you big mad.

From MarketWatch

Merriam-Webster’s primary opponent now is the Google search bar, whose definitions come from Oxford Language, the company that owns the Oxford English Dictionary.

From The Wall Street Journal