Dictionary Meaning in English

word

US

/ˈdɪkʃəˌnɛɹi/

DIK-shuh-nair-ee

UK

/dˈɪkʃənəɹi/

DIK-shuh-nuh-ree

Definition

A book or online resource that lists words of a language and gives their meanings, pronunciations, and other information.

Usage & Nuances

Usually a noun; most often refers to language reference books or apps. Common collocations: 'look up in the dictionary,' 'bilingual dictionary.' Do not confuse with 'thesaurus' (which lists synonyms). Both print and digital versions are common.

• Spanish: diccionario
• Portuguese (BR): dicionário
• Portuguese (PT): dicionário
• Chinese (Simplified): 词典 - 字典
• Chinese (Traditional): 詞典 - 字典
• Hindi: शब्दकोश
• Arabic: قاموس
• Bengali: ডিকশনারি - অভিধান
• Russian: словарь
• Japanese: 辞書
• Vietnamese: từ điển
• Korean: 사전
• Turkish: sözlük
• Urdu: لغت - ڈکشنری
• Indonesian: kamus

Example Sentences

I use a dictionary to find the meaning of new words.

basic

Do you have an English-French dictionary?

basic

Please look up the word in the dictionary.

basic

Most students prefer using an online dictionary these days.

natural

My old dictionary is falling apart but I still use it all the time.

natural

Whenever I travel, I pack a small dictionary just in case.

natural