About Oxford English Dictionary Online

Online version of the Oxford English Dictionary. Find word spellings, definitions, pronunciation and examples of use.

The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is widely regarded as the accepted authority on the English language. The online version includes:

• Simple and advanced search options to find the word you seek or a browse option from A to Z;
• Categories: browse words by subject, usage, region, or origin;
• Timelines: discover when words entered the English language;
• Sources: explore the top 1,000 authors and works quoted in the OED;
• Historical Thesaurus: a taxonomic organization of all the contents of the OED;
• Entry display options: view pronunciation, etymology, variant spellings, and quotations if required;
• Word of the day: impress your friends with your verbosity;
• RSS feed for news, revised entries and "Word of the Day".

The Oxford English Dictionary Online focuses on present day meanings, but also the history of individual words, and of the language which is traced through 3 million quotations, from classic literature and specialist periodicals to films scripts and cookery books. This resource is updated every three months so there are entries for bootylicious, bling and LOL.

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