SINCE 1828

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

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'Meat Sweats': The Cookout's Worst Nightmare

They're real, but is meat the cause?

These Are Fighting Words

Common terms that come from boxing and wrestling

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Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

You're going to have to memorize the dictionary again.

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Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

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Kim Jong Un: Trump a 'Dotard'

a state or period of senile decay

The True Story of the Backward Index

These people needed a computer

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Featuring: Peter Sokolowski

There it sits, hidden in plain view on a set of shelves in the basement of the Merriam-Webster offices: the Backward Index. But why would anyone type out 315,000 words spelled in reverse?

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Words at Play

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'Meat Sweats': The Cookout's Worst Nightmare

They're real, but is meat the cause?

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'Diffuse' vs. 'Defuse'

Let us defuse the situation.

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Breathing Life Into 'Inspire'

The word's origins are quite literal

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Let's Talk 'Tea'

Spill it, sip it: just make it hot.

Word Games

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Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

You're going to have to memorize the dictionary again.

Take the quiz

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Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

No tricks, just difficult words.

Take the quiz

How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

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Word Winder's CrossWinder

Word Winder's CrossWinder

A game of winding words.

Play the game