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Dictionaries & Thesauri

Definitions, Etymologies, Synonyms & Antonyms, and More

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Abbreviations & Acronyms
Dictionaries - Look up words, word usage, etymologies
Languages & Linguistics
Name Dictionaries - Meanings & Origins of Names
Phrases, Sayings, Idioms
Rhyming Dictionaries - Find rhymes for words
Thesaurus - Find synonyms and antonyms

Abbreviations and Acronyms

Abbreviations.com
Abbreviations in Dictionaries: List from Dictionary.com.
Acronymfinder: You can enter the exact acronym, "begins with" or a key word from the acronym.
ChatRef.com: Chat acronyms, texting abbreviations, and emoticons (smileys). Search or browse.
Netlingo: A list of acronymns and text messaging shorthand.
Official USPS Abbreviations: Post office abbreviations. Includes states, street suffixes, and "secondary unit designators." From United States Postal Service.
Stock Market: Company Stock Symbols: Look up companies and their stock symbols.

Dictionaries - Words, Their Meanings, Usage, Etymology

Cambridge Dictionaries Online: Search several different dictionaries including the Advanced Learner's Dictionary, American English, and the International Dictionary of Idioms.
Compact Oxford English Dictionary: 145,000 words, definitions, and phrases. You can search both for individual words and words within other definitions (full text search). From Oxford Dictionaries.
Dictionary.com: Includes audio pronunciations of words and a thesaurus.
Glossarist: "A searchable directory of glossaries and topical dictionaries." Search or browse by topic.
Learner's Dictionary: American English Dictionary for ESL, EFL, and TOEFL Students: From Merriam-Webster. Includes audio pronunciations of words.
Merriam-Webster Online: Dictionary and Thesaurus. Includes audio pronunciations of words.
OneLook Dictionaries: Query more than 500 general and specialized dictionaries at once. Links to all of them organized by topic.
Online Etymology Dictionary: Word origins (etymologies). Search or browse words, word parts. Meanings are drawn from multiple etymological dictionaries.
Reverse Dictionary: "The reverse dictionary lets you go from a concept/idea/definition to words and phrases used to describe that concept."
Wordnik: "Our goal is to show you as much information as possible, as fast as we can find it, for every word in English, and to give you a place where you can make your own opinions about words known."
Visuwords: An online graphical dictionary. Enter a word and it will give you synonyms, verbs, parts of speech, adverbs, adjectives and more.
Visual Dictionary: Browse by category or type in an object. An image is displayed with all its parts labeled using English or French terms.
Your Dictionary: More than just a site of standard English dictionaries and thesauruses, this site also includes over 200 foreign language dictionaries and translator programs as well as specialized dictionaries for professional vocabularies like medicine, business, and computer science.

Phrases, Sayings, Idioms

Library Catalog Topics

Web Resources

Cambridge International Dictionary of Idioms: Search phrases by one or more keywords.
Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable: "Giving the derivation, source, or origin of common phrases, allusions, and words that have a tale to tell."
English Idioms and Idiomatic Expressions: Search or browse entries.
The Phrase Finder: "The meanings and origins of over 1,200 English sayings, phrases and idioms."
Quotations: Popular and historic quotes.

Rhyming Dictionaries - Find Rhymes for Words

Online Rhyming Dictionary for Poetry and Songwriting: After entering the word to rhyme you can choose end rhymes, last syllable rhymes, double rhymes, beginning rhymes, and first syllable rhymes.
RhymeZone: Type in a word to find its rhymes, synonyms, definitions and more.

Thesaurus / Thesauri - Find Synonyms & Antonyms

Merriam-Webster Online: Thesaurus
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus: Read carefully to avoid advertisements. The search box is currently at the very top of the page, and all advertisements are marked as such.
Roget's International Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases: Includes Roget's II: The New Thesaurus and Roget's International Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases. Provided by Bartleby.com.
Synonym.com: Type in a word to find its synonym, antonym or definition.
WordNet: This database from Princeton University can be used simply as a thesaurus or to do lexical research. Click on "Use Word Net Online" to do a search.
Your Dictionary: More than just a site of standard English dictionaries and thesauruses, this site also includes over 200 foreign language dictionaries and translator programs as well as specialized dictionaries for professional vocabularies like medicine, business, and computer science.