Dictionary and Word Definitions

Look up definitions, parts of speech and example sentences for English words, plus other languages from Wiktionary.

Dictionary and Word Definitions tool

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Example

Input: serendipity

Result: Noun: 1. The phenomenon of making an unplanned, fortunate discovery through a combination of unexpected circumstances and insightful recognition. 2. An unsought, unintended or unexpected, but fortunate, discovery or learning experience that occurs by accident. 3. The occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way.

Taken from a real Wiktionary API response. The links inside each definition are turned into plain text.

  1. Type a word or short phrase into the box, or tap one of the examples.
  2. Press Define to look it up.
  3. Read the numbered definitions under each part of speech, with example sentences where available.
  4. Press Show more definitions for words with many senses, and open a language under Other languages to see its entry.
  5. Copy the English definitions, or follow the links to the full Wiktionary page or to synonyms and rhymes.

Looking Up a Word: Definitions From Wiktionary

Type a word to see what it means. This dictionary shows each definition numbered under its part of speech, such as noun, verb or adjective, with example sentences where they exist. Look up "serendipity" and you get a noun meaning an unplanned, fortunate discovery.

The definitions come from Wiktionary, the free dictionary written by volunteers, through its public API. Your browser sends only the word you look up. Wiktionary covers far more than English. A word like "run" also has entries in Dutch, Polish, Spanish and other languages. English comes first, and the other languages sit in closed sections below it that you can open. Common words can have dozens of senses, so the first eight show at once and a button reveals the rest.

Wiktionary is edited all the time, so wording can change and quality varies from entry to entry. The text is shared under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license. You may reuse it if you credit Wiktionary and share your version under the same terms. For pronunciation and word history, follow the link to the full Wiktionary page.

When you have the meaning, the Rhyme and Synonym Finder finds other words with the same sense, or words that rhyme. To check a whole draft for typos, use the Grammar and Spell Checker.

Sources

Frequently Asked Questions

Wiktionary treats capital letters as part of the word. "Polish" with a capital P is about Poland, while "polish" means to make something shine. The tool looks the word up exactly as you type it. If nothing is found and your word has capitals, it tries again in lowercase.
Check the spelling first. Wiktionary has entries for most word forms, such as "running" and "ran", but not for every name, brand or brand-new slang term. Try the base form of the word, or a shorter phrase. Wiktionary also uses its own spelling for some phrases, so "ice cream" works but a made-up compound may not.
Yes, within the license. Wiktionary text is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0, so you can copy and adapt it if you credit Wiktionary and share your version under the same license. For a school essay, quote the definition and cite Wiktionary like any other source, with the date you looked it up.
They say how a word works in a sentence. A noun names a thing, an adjective describes it and a verb is an action or state. "Run" is a verb in "I run daily" and a noun in "a morning run", so it gets two numbered lists. Wiktionary also uses labels such as Interjection, Proper noun and Symbol.

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