An English dictionary that explains words — and where they came from
This word definition tool is a free online English dictionary. Type a word or a phrase such as “look up” and you get its meanings grouped by part of speech, example sentences, synonyms and opposites for each meaning, related word forms, how it splits into syllables and where the stress falls, and — for many words — its origin.
Two openly licensed sources sit behind it. Princeton’s WordNet 3.1 (2011) supplies 147,478 words and phrases with 117,791 distinct meanings, written in plain modern English. Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary of 1913, now in the public domain, adds syllable breaks, stress marks, word histories and its own century-old definitions, which are clearly labelled as dated.
It is built for students, writers, crossword solvers and anyone learning English. Your searches stay on your device: the dictionary is fetched in small parts and searched in your browser, and once a part has been used it keeps working without a connection.
How to look up a word
- Type a word or phrase in Word or phrase. After two letters, matching dictionary entries appear as suggestions.
- Press Define or Enter. Plurals, verb forms and comparatives are recognised, so “mice”, “went” or “happier” lead you to mouse, go and happy.
- Read the meanings under each part of speech. The small label (for example “animal” or “communication”) shows the topic WordNet files the meaning under.
- Click any synonym, opposite or related word to look that up next; your last eight words stay under Recent.
- Open Webster’s 1913 entry to compare the historical definitions, or press Listen to hear the word in your device’s voice.
Word Definition Tool features
Meanings by part of speech
Every noun, verb, adjective and adverb sense, most common first, with WordNet’s own example sentences.
Synonyms and opposites per meaning
Each meaning lists the words that share it and, where WordNet records one, its direct opposite — “happy” → unhappy.
Syllables, stress and origin
From Webster’s 1913: “dictionary” splits into dic·tion·a·ry with the stress on the first syllable, and comes from French dictionnaire.
Finds the base form
Irregular forms come from WordNet’s exception lists; regular endings (-s, -es, -ies, -ed, -ing, -er, -est and doubled consonants) are stripped and checked against the dictionary.
Spelling help
A misspelt word such as “dictionery” brings up the closest real entries to click.
Works offline
Parts you have used are cached; one button saves the whole dictionary for travel or poor connections.
Where the definitions come from
Only Webster headwords that WordNet or the public-domain Moby Part-of-Speech list also recognise are kept, which leaves out about 43,000 obsolete scientific and dialect terms.
| Source | Date | What this page uses | Licence |
|---|---|---|---|
| WordNet 3.1, Princeton University | 2011 | Meanings, examples, synonym sets, opposites, “a kind of” links, related forms (147,478 entries) | WordNet licence — free use with the copyright notice kept (shown under the tool) |
| Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary | 1913 | Syllables and stress, inflected forms, word origins, up to three short historical senses (61,676 headwords) | Public domain (Project Gutenberg eBook #29765) |
When the 1913 dictionary shows its age
Look up computer and the two sources disagree. WordNet’s first meaning is “a machine for performing calculations automatically”; Webster’s 1913 entry says simply “One who computes” — in 1913 a computer was a person. Words such as nice show older senses too: its first 1913 meaning is “Foolish; silly”, marked obsolete.
That is why modern meanings always come first, and the 1913 entry sits in a box marked “dated language”. Labels such as [Obs.] (obsolete) and [R.] (rare) are kept. Pronunciation is shown only as syllables and stress, because the special phonetic letters of the printed book did not survive digitisation; press Listen for an audio guide from your device’s own speech voice.
What is not in it
- Words newer than 2011: “selfie” and “smartphone” have no entry, and “tweet” only means a bird’s chirp.
- Most slang, brand names and personal names (WordNet does include many famous people and places).
- Full verb tables — the tool recognises forms like “ran” but does not list every form of a verb.
- Phonetic spellings such as IPA. For spoken practice, use Text to Speech with a full sentence.
Word Definition Tool FAQ
How do I find the meaning of a word?
Type it into the word definition tool and press Define. You see every meaning grouped by noun, verb, adjective and adverb, with examples. For more alternatives to a word, open the Synonym Finder; for opposites, the Antonym Finder.
Is this dictionary free and private?
Yes. There is no sign-up, and the words you look up are searched in your browser, not on a server. Only your recent words are remembered, in this browser, and you can clear them.
Why does it show a different word from the one I typed?
You typed an inflected form. “Studies” is shown as study, and a note explains the link (“the plural of”, “the past tense of”). If the form is also a word in its own right — “saw” — both are shown.
Can I use it offline?
Yes. Any part of the dictionary you have used is stored on your device. To keep everything (about 45 MB on disk), open “Use it offline” and press Save for offline use.
How is the stress of a word shown?
The syllables come from Webster’s 1913, with the stressed syllable in bold and a note such as “3 syllables, stress on the second”. Stress can differ between British and American English for a few words.
Why are some definitions old-fashioned?
Those come from Webster’s 1913, a public-domain dictionary over a century old. They are shown separately and labelled dated; the main meanings come from WordNet 3.1, published in 2011.
Does it check grammar or spelling in a whole text?
No — it explains single words and phrases. To check a paragraph, paste it into the Grammar Checker.