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dictionary
noun
dic·tio·nary
ˈdik-shə-ˌner-ē 
-ˌne-rē
plural dictionaries
1
: a reference source in print or electronic form containing words usually alphabetically arranged along with information about their forms, pronunciations, functions, etymologies, meanings, and syntactic and idiomatic uses
2
: a reference book listing alphabetically terms or names important to a particular subject or activity along with discussion of their meanings and applications
3
: a reference book listing alphabetically the words of one language and showing their meanings or translations in another language
4
: a computerized list (as of items of data or words) used for reference (as for information retrieval or word processing)
Examples of dictionary in a Sentence
Famed for his dictionary, "Rambler" essays and The Lives of the English Poets, Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) remains one of the most-quoted and carefully observed authors who ever lived.
—
Publishers Weekly, 21 July 2008
I still read relatively slowly in Yiddish, with frequent recourse to a dictionary, and my first year of graduate school found me at my desk till two or three in the morning every night …
—Aaron Lansky, Outwitting History, 2004
Look it up in the dictionary.
try to develop the habit of going to the dictionary whenever you encounter an unfamiliar word
Publishers Weekly, 21 July 2008
I still read relatively slowly in Yiddish, with frequent recourse to a dictionary, and my first year of graduate school found me at my desk till two or three in the morning every night …
—Aaron Lansky, Outwitting History, 2004
Look it up in the dictionary.
try to develop the habit of going to the dictionary whenever you encounter an unfamiliar word
Recent Examples on the Web
In their hands, the dictionary was a form of political speech, the only kind that ever worked for them.
—Jennifer Wilson, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2024
Spanish/English dictionaries were delivered to some of the schools.
—Deb Harvell, arkansasonline.com, 27 Oct. 2024
The club annually distributes dictionaries to Bentonville, Bella Vista, Gravette and Pea Ridge school districts.
—Deb Harvell, arkansasonline.com, 27 Oct. 2024
Merriam-Webster just added over 200 words to its dictionary, and several of them are common American food terms.
—Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner, Forbes, 1 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dictionary 
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Jennifer Wilson, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2024
Spanish/English dictionaries were delivered to some of the schools.
—Deb Harvell, arkansasonline.com, 27 Oct. 2024
The club annually distributes dictionaries to Bentonville, Bella Vista, Gravette and Pea Ridge school districts.
—Deb Harvell, arkansasonline.com, 27 Oct. 2024
Merriam-Webster just added over 200 words to its dictionary, and several of them are common American food terms.
—Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner, Forbes, 1 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dictionary
Dictionary Entries Near dictionary
Cite this Entry
“Dictionary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dictionary. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
dictionary
noun
dic·tio·nary
ˈdik-shə-ˌner-ē
plural dictionaries
1
: a reference source in print or electronic form giving information about the meanings, forms, pronunciations, uses, and origins of words listed in alphabetical order
2
: a reference book that lists in alphabetical order terms or names important to a particular subject along with explanations of their meanings and uses
a law dictionary
3
: a reference book giving words of one language and their meanings in another
an English-French dictionary
Etymology
from Latin dictionarium "dictionary," from earlier diction-, dictio- "words, speaking," from dicere "to say" — related to dictate
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