dictionary definitions

Entries explaining terms

Dictionary definitions are explanations of what words mean, typically found in reference works.

A good definition captures core meaning, shows how a word actually functions in context, and distinguishes it from related terms.

Definitions range from brief glosses to extended treatments mapping a word's full semantic territory: The dictionary definition doesn't capture the nuance, He gave a dictionary definition of love, missing everything that matters.

Related

look it up · etymology · entry · guide words · denotation · phonetics · polysemy · part of speech · pronunciation · lexeme · word formation · lexical · usage · word origins · alphabetical order · OED · Noah Webster · glossary

Opposites
type of lexical information

dictionary definitionsexample sentences

Phrases demonstrating word usage

quotations

prescriptive vs. descriptive authority

dictionary definitionsslang

Informal in-group vocabulary

street language · living language · idiolect · informal speech · neologisms

explicit vs. implicit meaning

dictionary definitionsimplied meaning

Unstated but understood sense

connotation · tacit understanding

Family

dictionary, dictionaries, diction, dictate, dictation, dictator, dictatorial, dictatorship, dictated

Familiarity
Top 200,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Everyday, not technical · Rated G