Major navigation

Oxford English Dictionary Online

Ordering options and further information about this resource are available after you sign in

Full Description

Oxford English Dictionary Online offers :

 

  • access to the 20 volume Second Edition and 3 Additions series volumes
  • quarterly updates comprising at least 2,500 new and revised words
  • extensive search options enabling users to answer the following questions in seconds:
    - what was the original meaning of the adjective NICE? (foolish!)
    - when was the first recorded use of MOBILE PHONE? (1945)
    - what is a ROBOT in South Africa? (Traffic signal)
    - which band, according to the OED, invented COOL BRITANNIA, and when? (Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, 1967)
    - how many English words have a Hindi origin? (475 as of May 2006)
    - "Beware the jubjub bird" is a quote from which book? (Through the Looking Glass)

Oxford English Dictionary Online is also useful for crossword solvers. Not only is it a large dictionary of English, it is possible to search for words with wildcards (missing letters can be denoted with a ?), and to search for words on the basis of their definitions.

A new Learning Resources area which includes teaching materials, interesting word stories and training quizzes is now available at www.oed.com/learning. Oxford University Press will be expanding the range of materials on offer over the coming months to include resources to support Further Education teaching in particular.

A full product description is available.

A tour of Oxford English Dictionary Online is available.

A quick reference guide is available.

A brochure is available.

Publishers selection policy

Oxford English Dictionary Online is undergoing a major £34 million revision programme. Every existing definition and etymology is being painstakingly revised, and hundreds of entries for new words are added each year. Over 2,500 new and revised entries are now published online every three months.

To find out about how the OED is written, including information such as how words are chosen and definitions please see:
http://www.oed.com/about/writing/