encyclopedias

noun

plural of encyclopedia
as in books
a reference work that contains information about many different subjects or a lot of information about a particular subject The school library's encyclopedia occupied much of the bookshelf. an encyclopedia of literature

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of encyclopedias The ban won’t cover online encyclopedias, or educational or scientific directories. — Samuel Petrequin, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026 The ban won’t cover online encyclopedias, educational or scientific directories. — ABC News, 21 July 2026 The ban won’t cover online encyclopedias, educational or scientific directories, or platforms for the development and sharing of open-source software. — Samuel Petrequin, Fortune, 20 July 2026 The cheap paperbacks with yellowed pages, outdated cookbooks, and encyclopedias can be tossed. — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 12 June 2026 Holmquist traces his devotion to history back to age 7, when his parents bought him a set of encyclopedias. — Jim Dudlicek, Chicago Tribune, 24 May 2026 Google didn’t have to persuade people that typing a question into a search bar was better than navigating directories or flipping through encyclopedias. — Ira Belsky, Forbes.com, 20 Mar. 2026 Beginning in 1959, editors put in arduous work toward compiling the first encyclopedias written in Braille, the innovative code developed by Louis Braille in 19th century France. — Leo Bertucci, Louisville Courier Journal, 20 Dec. 2025 Instead, the eight search results ranged from a general entry about online encyclopedias to seven entries primarily about Wikipedia. — NPR, 29 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for encyclopedias
  1. books
  2. dictionaries
  3. catalogs
Noun
  • All 4 Kids Consignment Sale Score some deals on everything your kids need, including clothes, shoes, toys, baby gear, sports equipment, books and more.
    — Mary Caldwell, AJC.com, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Shot over 25 years from 1999 onwards, this cinematic work evolved from an earlier project that resulted in exhibitions and books, which also recorded, in large-format photos, Guile and Beli’s child-to-adult evolution.
    — Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of books
Noun
  • Most dictionaries do not even list the meaning—’to kill’—that the government now proposes.
    — David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 27 July 2026
  • Christmas hams, party cocktails, elegant layer cakes, and cookout classics fill the dictionaries of Southern family recipes, but one of my favorites is a simple vinaigrette from my grandmother.
    — Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 2 July 2026
Definition of dictionaries
Noun
  • It was built deliberately thin, meant for downstream catalogs to mirror rather than to serve as anyone's front end.
    — Janakiram MSV, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2026
  • The news last week that producer William Orbit had died at age 69 sent people back to revisit one of the most remarkable catalogs in Nineties pop.
    — Simon Vozick-Levinson, Rolling Stone, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of catalogs

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Cite this Entry

“Encyclopedias.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encyclopedias. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of encyclopedias for Spanish Speakers

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