Each year, Merriam-Webster publishes a new copyright of the Collegiate Dictionary that includes the newest words and meanings that have become established in our language. Our editors constantly monitor language trends reflected in the pages of newspapers and magazines, on radio and television, and on the Internet, so that when language changes happen, we know about them – and so do buyers of our dictionaries.

Which words made our annual dictionary update this year? Cyber-, mosh, and newsgroup, to name just a few!

What makes this America’s best-selling dictionary?

Noah Webster wrote the Great American Dictionary, and Merriam-Webster turned it into the second best-selling book in history, outsold only by the Bible! This is the dictionary of choice in government offices, schools, the editorial offices of major publishing houses, and homes around the world.

The dictionary that sets the standard. A treasury of information about words, prepared by America’s foremost language experts.

* More than 215,000 clear and accurate definitions
* Carefully researched pronunciations
* More than 700 illustrations, 76,000 dates of earliest recorded use, and nearly 35,000 etymologies detailing word origins
* Synonym and usage paragraphs and a Handbook of Style for practical advice on using words wisely
* Special sections on abbreviations, biographical and geographical names, and foreign words and phrases

The dictionary that sets the standard. A treasury of
information about words, prepared by America’s foremost language experts.
 

• More than 215,000 clear and accurate definitions

• Carefully researched pronunciations

• More than 700 illustrations, 76,000 dates of earliest
  recorded use, and nearly 35,000 etymologies detailing word origins

• Synonym and usage paragraphs and a Handbook of Style for
  practical advice on using words wisely

• Special sections on abbreviations, biographical and
  geographical names, and foreign words and phrases