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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 2024
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 2024
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
Smithsonian Archives Before Pantone turned its color standard into a big business, some of the first modern color systems came from naturalists trying to identify and differentiate bird species or flowers in reference works known as color dictionaries.
—Emma Bowman, NPR, 5 Dec. 2024
The most beautiful word in the dictionary is tariff.
—CBS News, 24 Nov. 2024
Suitcase trunks, glass bottles, eyeglasses, china plates, a German-English dictionary, pots and pans and more items will be on display.
—Ashley J. Dimella Fox News, Fox News, 7 Oct. 2024
Coined around 2004, the term gained prominence throughout the last decade, with Merriam Webster adding the word to its dictionary in 2018.
—Matt Robison, Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dictionary 
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Emma Bowman, NPR, 5 Dec. 2024
The most beautiful word in the dictionary is tariff.
—CBS News, 24 Nov. 2024
Suitcase trunks, glass bottles, eyeglasses, china plates, a German-English dictionary, pots and pans and more items will be on display.
—Ashley J. Dimella Fox News, Fox News, 7 Oct. 2024
Coined around 2004, the term gained prominence throughout the last decade, with Merriam Webster adding the word to its dictionary in 2018.
—Matt Robison, Newsweek, 21 Nov. 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 17 Dec. 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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