SJSU Research Guides: Online Reference Sources: Dictionaries & Thesauri

Dictionaries & Thesauri

Oxford English Dictionary Online This link opens in a new window
Traces the evolution of the English language over the last millennium and includes definitions, history, and pronunciation of over half a million English words, present and past.
Oxford Reference This link opens in a new window
The Oxford Reference Online Premium contains about 100 dictionary, language reference, and subject reference works published by Oxford University press. It also contains a range of key titles from the acclaimed oxford Companion Series, plus the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations.
Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary & Thesaurus This link opens in a new window
This dictionary includes more than 75,000 definitions, pronunciation guides and word histories for English words. (Note: Included as part of of our subscription to Britannica Academic. Scroll down to see the dictionary and thesaurus search box.)

Merriam-Webster Online
The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary is based on the print version of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, Eleventh Edition. The online dictionary includes the main A-Z listing of the Collegiate Dictionary, as well as the Abbreviations, Foreign Words and Phrases, Biographical Names, and Geographical Names sections of that book. It also includes 1,000 illustrations and 25 tables.

Dictionary of American Regional English This link opens in a new window
Harvard University Press’s DARE focuses on the regional aspects of American English. Users can browse by region with an interactive map or create a map using the DARE survey data. Over 4,000 audio recordings are included and the search function allows searches by definitions, etymologies, and usage labels, in addition to regional labels.

Oxford Paperback Thesaurus
Provides a large number of alternative words with examples and phrases to clarify meanings. (Despite its name, it is an ebook.)