What's new
Oxford Dictionaries Online is our free dictionary and language reference site. The site is updated quarterly with some or all of the following: new words and senses, special features on language change, revised encyclopedic entries, and improved functionality.
Visit this page to find out about the latest changes to the site. You can also keep up to date with all the latest news and developments by signing up for the Oxford Dictionaries newsletter, following us on Twitter, or reading our blog.
November 2012
November’s quarterly update sees words from the worlds of technology, social culture, and finance debuting on Oxford Dictionaries Online.
Social terms recognized include bezzie, boyf, deets, First World problem, and stressy whilst technology brings us chatbot, forumite, Godwin’s law, and the recently launched LTE and 4G mobile networks. The continuing impact of the financial world can be seen in the addition of debt trap, payday loan, and payday lender.
August 2012 update
The August quarterly update includes the addition of a number of terms inspired by contemporary culture, including ridic, group hug, vote (someone or something) off the island, and date night.
The world of technology also remains a major influence on the English language, with innovative advances reflected in new entries including ethical hacker, 3D printing, and e-learning. Social media also continues to shape language evolution: tweeps, video chat,lifecasting, and hat tip are among the latest words to make their Oxford Dictionaries debut, while acronyms regularly used online (from lulz to DW and UX) have also been recognized.
Read about the new words in the August 2012 update.
PLUS major content update for Oxford Dictionaries Pro: New edition of the Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus
Superfly (stylish), boo (boyfriend), and skookum house (prison) are just some of the 1,000 new synonyms added to Oxford Dictionaries Pro in the August 2012 update, with the addition of the third edition of the Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus. A further 50 new thesaurus headwords have been added, from anti-war to politically correct, as well as hundreds of new features including usage notes, word reflections, and quotations.
Read David Foster Wallace's reflection on the term 'all of' in the Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus.
New in July 2012
We’ve added bilingual dictionaries for French, German, Italian, and Spanish to the Oxford Dictionaries site.
- Find accurate, up-to-date translations for thousands of common words, phrases, and idioms
- Explore French, German, Italian, and Spanish vocabulary – from the everyday to the language of computing and technology, health and lifestyle, and much more
Try it now! Look up access and digital in English, mieux and bibliothèque in French, die Servolenkung and der Doppelklick in German, bisettimanale and ambiente in Italian, or caminar and reciclado in Spanish.
May 2012 update
The latest update to Oxford Dictionaries Online sees a wide variety of words added to our dictionary, from aptonym to whatevs. Whether you are a sports fan who hopes to one day win the scudetto, or a fashionista debating whether to buy a onesie or a bandage dress, we're sure you'll find something to interest you.
We’ve also added words from the world of finance and banking (Robin Hood tax, debt ceiling, sovereign debt), computing (ransomware, geodata), and the environment (green technology, eco-driving, water footprint) to ensure you always have the most current definitions at your fingertips.
Read our blog post to learn more …
February 2012 update
Calling all fashionistas – new words added to Oxford Dictionaries Online include boy shorts, shootie, and hobo bag. Gaming also plays a big role in the latest update, with gamification, ludology, and social gaming all featuring. Or perhaps you prefer to step away from the computer screen and indulge in some LARPing?
Learn more about the new words, from cyberchondriac to scratchiti, on the OxfordWords blog.
November 2011 update
**NEW** on Oxford Dictionaries Pro - Garner’s Dictionary of Legal Usage. A definitive guide to modern legal vocabulary and style, for practising lawyers, legal scholars, students, and anyone who deals with the language of law.
Find out more about our premium site, Oxford Dictionaries Pro.
New words
From flame war and bloggy to slacktivism and crowdfunding, we've added a whole host of barbecue-stoppers to our online dictionary.
Influences include this year's momentous events, including Arab Spring and phone hacking, as well as the ongoing concern for the environment (carbon debt, precycling, and eco-activist). And with new hobbies and activities, such as wild swimming and cage diving, also featuring, there should be something for everyone in the new additions.
Learn more about the new words on the OxfordWords blog
August 2011 update
Whether you are indulging in a caprese, grilled meat with chimichurri, or gado gado, you’ll be pleased to hear that all of these food words have made it into this update. You can wash these delicious dishes down with a long black – unless a fat tax is introduced on any of these, which might make becoming a junketeer a more attractive option… Or if instead you want to become a social entrepreneur and solve problems such as water poverty, make sure you don’t make any fat finger mistakes when you are doing your e-banking, or you will find yourself doing a facepalm.
Read more about the update on the OxfordWords blog
May 2011 update
We've managed to spare a few femtoseconds in our busy schedule to add some schmick new words to Oxford Dictionaries Online. Whether you enjoy crafting, free running, or just surfing the Internet on your lappy, you're sure to find something to interest you amongst the new additions.
The world of computers and social networking continues to be a major influence on the English language, with the introduction of badware, and social graph into our dictionary. Fashion and relationships also play an important role with bridezilla, mani-pedi, and bestie all being added in this update.
Read more about the update on the OxfordWords blog
February 2011 update
The most recent update to Oxford Dictionaries Online saw lots of bloggable words added to the dictionary from babycino to silent disco.
There are plenty of words for onliners, with clickjacking, cybersecurity, and bounce rate included in the new additions. Foodies are also in for a treat with kleftiko, banh mi, chermoula, and gremolata all featuring.
There are also lots of new abbreviations from TBH to PPC, and some wonderfully evocative onomatopoeic terms including fnarr fnarr and nom nom.
November 2010 update
The November update to our website saw a wide selection of new words and phrases added to Oxford Dictionaries Online, from bajillion to glamping.
The new additions include terms from the world of politics (alternative vote, dog whistle), fashion (jeggings), food and drink (flat white, slow food) and much more ...
To find out more about current features and content on Oxford Dictionaries Online, take the tour today.