Oxford English Dictionary (2024)

Oxford English Dictionary (1)

Word stories

Read our collection of word stories detailing the etymology and semantic development of a wide range of words, including ‘dungarees’, ‘codswallop’, and ‘witch’.

Oxford English Dictionary (2)

Word lists

Access our word lists and commentaries on an array of fascinating topics, from film-based coinages to Tex-Mex terms.

Oxford English Dictionary (3)

World Englishes

Explore our World Englishes hub and access our resources on the varieties of English spoken throughout the world by people of diverse cultural backgrounds.

Oxford English Dictionary (4)

History of English

Here you can find a series of commentaries on the History of English, charting the history of the English language from Old English to the present day.

Oxford English Dictionary (2024)

FAQs

Can I use the Oxford English Dictionary for free? ›

Via a library

Most libraries offer remote access. This means that, if you are a member of your local library, you can access the OED online for free anywhere you have internet access.

What is the difference between Oxford English Dictionary and Oxford American dictionary? ›

The New Oxford American Dictionary is the American version of the Oxford Dictionary of English, with substantial editing and uses a diacritical respelling scheme rather than the IPA system.

What is the official Oxford Dictionary? ›

The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is widely accepted as the most complete record of the English language ever assembled. Unlike typical language dictionaries, which only define words in terms of their current uses and meanings, the OED is a historical dictionary.

Is there an American version of the Oxford English Dictionary? ›

The Oxford Advanced American Dictionary is an advanced-level monolingual dictionary for learners of American English. It includes 145,000 words, phrases, and meanings and 85,500 examples showing how words are used.

Which version of Oxford Dictionary is best? ›

The Oxford advanced learner's dictionary is the world's bestselling advanced level dictionary for learners of English.

Which dictionary is better than Oxford? ›

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.

What is the most accurate English dictionary? ›

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.

What is the most used dictionary in the United States? ›

"Webster's" has since become a genericized trademark in the United States for English dictionaries, and is widely used in dictionary titles. Merriam-Webster is the corporate heir to Noah Webster's original works, which are in the public domain.

What is the difference between Oxford and Webster dictionary? ›

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.

What happened to Oxford Dictionary online? ›

While the dictionary content on Lexico came from OUP, this website was operated by Dictionary.com, whose eponymous website hosts dictionaries by other publishers such as Random House. The website was closed and redirected to Dictionary.com on 26 August 2022.

Is Oxford Dictionary free online? ›

Choose 'English' from the search box options to look up any word in the dictionary. The complete A-Z is available for free: read meanings, examples and usage notes; listen to British and American English pronunciations; expand images to view related vocabulary.

What does Rizz actually mean? ›

What does it mean? 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.

Is The Oxford English Dictionary accurate? ›

The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is widely regarded as the accepted authority on the English language. It is the most comprehensive record of the English language in the world with more than 600,000 words.

How do you check if a word is in the Oxford English Dictionary? ›

When you enter a word and click on Check Dictionary button, it simply tells you whether it's valid or not, and list out the dictionaries in case of valid word. Additionally, you can also read the meaning if you want to know more about a particular word.

What is the current Oxford Dictionary edition? ›

4th Edition.

Is The Oxford Dictionary copyrighted? ›

We and/or our licensors are the owners of all intellectual property rights in the Oxford DNB, and the Oxford DNB and the materials on the Oxford DNB are protected by intellectual property laws around the world including copyright and trade mark laws.

Do you need to cite the Oxford English Dictionary? ›

If you're accessing the Oxford English Dictionary via a library database and you know who the author is, this is how you cite it. Author's Last Name, First Name. “Title of Entry.” Title of Encyclopedia or Dictionary, edited by Editor's First Name Last Name, Edition if given and not first edition, vol.

Can you use OED without a subscription? ›

Creating a personal OED account is quick and easy to do. You can create a personal account even if you have access to OED content via a library subscription, or even if you don't intend to purchase your own subscription.

What is the best free English dictionary app? ›

Wordweb is the best dictionary available for android.

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