Online dictionary
Look up the meaning of any English word: pronunciation, every sense by part of speech, examples, synonyms and antonyms.
How to read a dictionary entry
A good entry answers four questions in order. How is it said? The pronunciation line uses the International Phonetic Alphabet; the syllable after the ˈ mark is stressed. What kind of word is it? The part of speech (noun, verb, adjective) tells you where it can go in a sentence. What does it mean? Senses are usually listed from most to least common, so the first definition is the safest bet. How is it used? Example sentences show the words that typically travel with it.
When a word has several senses, check the example that matches your sentence rather than the first definition. Novel as an adjective (“a novel idea”) has nothing to do with novel the book, and only the example makes that obvious.
Questions people ask
Where do the definitions come from?
Lookups use the Free Dictionary API (dictionaryapi.dev), which draws on Wiktionary, the open, community-edited dictionary, with Princeton’s WordNet (via Datamuse) as a backup. For the 180 words in our own lists you also get a link to a hand-built Definio entry with etymology and examples.
What if a word isn’t found?
Very new slang, rare technical terms and misspellings may not be in the open dictionary. You can then ask our AI assistant for a definition. It will say if the word isn’t real and suggest what you might have meant.
How do I hear the pronunciation?
If the dictionary has a recording, a play button appears next to the word. Otherwise your device’s built-in speech voice reads the word aloud.
Is the dictionary free?
Yes. There is no sign-up, and your recent searches are kept only in your own browser. You can clear them any time.
What’s the difference between a dictionary and a thesaurus?
A dictionary tells you what a word means, how to say it and how it is used. A thesaurus lists words with similar or opposite meanings. Our synonym finder is the thesaurus half.