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These Are Fighting Words

Common terms that come from boxing and wrestling

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Let's Talk 'Tea'

Spill it, sip it: just make it hot.

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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

Words At Play

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Recent Posts

Words We're Watching

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What Is a 'Third-Culture Kid'?

A new form of cultural identity

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Words We're Watching: 'Tiny House'
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What About "Whataboutism?"
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What's a 'Clapback'?
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Usage & Grammar

Commonly Confused

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Can 'bemuse' mean 'amuse'?

The word actually comes from the Muses

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'Timber' vs 'Timbre'
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Is It 'Invoke' or 'Evoke'?
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'Chord' vs. 'Cord'
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SEE ALL WORDS AT PLAY

WORD OF THE DAY

yeasty

play

of yeast or being unsettled or frivolous

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Test Your Vocabulary

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

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  • Which of the following is a new sense of the word bunny?
True or False

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TRENDING NOW

  1. dotage, dotard a state or period of senile decay

  2. otherwise "in other respects"

  3. federalism Graham says bill gives power to states

  4. bodega "Don’t mess with the beloved bodega."

  5. carceral Of, relating to, or suggesting a jail or prison

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Ask the Editors

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Words of the Year: 1066

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

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

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Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

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Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

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.

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True or False?

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Dictionary Devil
Dictionary Devil

The dictionary has been scrambled—can you put it back together?

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