Dictionary.com
Online dictionary
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dictionary.com is an online dictionary whose domain was first registered on May 14, 1995. The primary content on Dictionary.com is a proprietary dictionary based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, with editors for the site providing new and updated definitions.[1][2] Supplementary content comes from the Collins English Dictionary, American Heritage Dictionary and others.[3] It is owned by IXL Learning.[4][5]
 | |
Type of site | Dictionary |
|---|---|
| Available in | English |
| Owner | IXL Learning |
| Created by |
|
| URL | dictionary |
| Commercial | Yes |
| Launched | May 14, 1995 |
History
Dictionary.com was founded by Brian Kariger and Daniel Fierro as part of Lexico Publishing, which also started Thesaurus.com and Reference.com.[6] At the time of its launch, it was one of the web's first in-depth reference sites.[7] In July 2008, Lexico Publishing Group, LLC, was acquired by Ask.com, an IAC company,[8][9] and renamed Dictionary.com, LLC.[10] In 2018, IAC sold Dictionary.com and Thesaurus.com to Rock Holdings.[11] At the time of the sale, Dictionary.com was the 447th most trafficked website in the United States, according to the website tracking service SimilarWeb.[11] In 2015, they estimated that there are 5.5 billion word searches a year on its site.[12] In 2024, Rock Holdings sold Dictionary.com and Thesaurus.com to IXL Learning.[5]
In July 2025, the site deleted all user accounts and removed its ad-free Pro app.[13]
Features
Among its features, Dictionary.com offers a Word of the Day,[14] a crossword solver,[15] and a pop culture dictionary[16] that includes emoji and slang sections.
In 2010, Dictionary.com began a Word of the Year feature with the word change.[17] The selection is based on search trends on the site throughout the year and the news events that drive them.[18] Dictionary.com's words of the year have been:[17]
- 2010: change
- 2011: tergiversate
- 2012: bluster
- 2013: privacy
- 2014: exposure
- 2015: identity
- 2016: xenophobia
- 2017: complicit
- 2018: misinformation
- 2019: existential[18]
- 2020: pandemic[19]
- 2021: allyship
- 2022: woman
- 2023: hallucinate[20]
- 2024: demure
- 2025: 67[21]
In April 2009, they launched an app on the Apple App Store allowing users to find definitions and synonyms. It also included audio pronunciations, alphabetical indexing, and synonym example sentences.[22] Since then, Dictionary.com released a standalone thesaurus app called Thesaurus Rex along with education apps, Dictionary.com Flashcards, Word Dynamo, and Learning to Read with Zoo Animals.
In early 2020, in response to COVID-19 quarantine home-schooling needs, Dictionary.com launched an interactive platform for learning at home, and an online tutoring service.[23] Later that year Dictionary.com's sister site, Thesaurus.com, launched a writing assistant and grammar checker called Grammar Coach.[24] The coronavirus outbreak led to the addition of novel words to the main dictionary (e.g., fomite) and the slang dictionary (e.g., rona).[25]