Wordplay

Arts & Culture (page 2)

2024 Word of the Year: Polarization

Merriam-Webster's 2024 Word of the Year is 'Polarization'

200 New Words and Definitions Added to Merriam-Webster.com

15 Cheffy Words for Chefs (and Everyone Else)

Including 'cheffy'

Pilfer: How to Play and Win

Welcome to our newest word game

12 Star Wars Words

Enjoy this listicle, you will

A Great Big List of Bread Words

Quit loafing around and get that bread (word)

A List of The U.S. Military Ranks in Order

From Private to General of the Army

7 Words from Political Scandals

Behind the smoke-filled rooms

9 Other Words for Beautiful

Here are some additional words for calling something lovely

17 Tasty Names of Appetizers

Enjoy. They're complimentary.

10 Phrases from Shakespeare

Where the "wild goose chase" comes from

11 Words Used to Great Effect by Edgar Allan Poe

The Vocabulary in the Rue Morgue

When is ‘cuffing season'?

Something to do during the cold, dark months.

The History of 'Nuclear Family'

Getting at the core of it.

Has ‘supper’ always meant ‘dinner?'

Your grandmother might answer differently.

A Guide to British Noble Titles

Know your Duchess from your Baroness

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

And why isn't it 'bury the lead'?

The Changing Meaning of 'Elope'

Read this before you elope. Or 'elope.'

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

The acronyms began as telegraph codes

How a Word Gets into the Dictionary

What our editors are looking for when they enter words in Merriam-Webster.

10 Better Ways to Say Underwear

Get your knickers in a twist

The Words of the Week - Jan. 10

Lookups from Washington D.C., California, and Winter Storm Blair

The Words of the Week - Jan. 3

Lookups from Georgia, New Orleans, and the new year

The Words of the Week - Dec. 27

Lookups from the White House, Congress, and the holidays

The Words of the Week - Dec. 20

Lookups from law, television, and yuletide

The Words of the Week - Dec. 13

Lookups from Altoona, Washington D.C., and the beach

The Words of the Week - Dec. 6

Lookups from California, South Korea, and the Pleistocene

The Words of the Week - Nov. 29

Lookups from politics, poultry, and Thanksgiving

The Words of the Week - Nov. 22

Lookups from politics, weather, and the dairy aisle

The Words of the Week - Nov. 15

Lookups from politics, cinema, and Uranus

The Words of the Week - Nov. 8

Lookups from the 2024 election

The Words of the Week - November 1

Lookups from a cheese shop, Halloween, and a box of rain

The Words of the Week - October 25

Lookups from the election, Newfoundland, and the frozen foods aisle

The Words of the Week - October 18

Lookups from the election, the night sky, and Indigenous Peoples' Day

The Words of the Week - October 11

Lookups from the Supreme Court, Sweden, and the Florida coast

The Words of the Week - October 4

Lookups from the VP debate, Earth’s orbit, and your smartphone

The Words of the Week - September 27

Lookups from the U.N., deep space, and a zoo in Thailand

The Words of the Week - September 20

Lookups from the courtroom, the campaign trail, and the Carolinas

The Words of the Week - September 13

Lookups from the debate, the forest, and the snack food aisle

The Words of the Week - September 6

Lookups from the thermosphere, the calendar, and the Justice Department

The Words of the Week - August 30

Lookups from weather, law, and Britpop

The Words of the Week - August 23

Lookups from Chicago, Philadelphia, and Australia

The Words of the Week - August 16

Lookups from the sky, TikTok, and your favorite coffee shop

The Words of the Week - August 9

Lookups from Central Park, Paris, and federal court

The Words of the Week - August 2

Lookups from politics, the Olympics, and fast-casual restaurants

The Words of the Week - July 26

Lookups from the presidential campaign, pop music, and reality television

The Words of the Week - July 19

Lookups from the sun, the troposphere, and the dog days of summer

The Words of the Week - July 12

Lookups from Texas, France, and the recliner

The Words of the Week - July 5

Lookups from politics, national holidays, and summer

The Words of the Week - June 28

Lookups from social media, politics, and Oklahoma

The Words of the Week - June 21

Lookups from Juneteenth, the fourth estate, and the law

The Words of the Week - June 14

Lookups from cricket, basketball, and politics

The Words of the Week - June 7

Lookups from World War II, the justice system, and Europe

The Words of the Week - May 31

Lookups from politics, the Supreme Court, and baseball

The Words of the Week - May 24

Lookups from court, politics, and the Middle East

The Words of the Week - May 17

Lookups from the sea, the courts, and Europe

The Words of the Week - May 10

Lookups from technology, the courts, and the brain

The Words of the Week - May 3

Lookups from court, college, and culture

The Words of the Week - Apr. 26

Lookups from Portugal, religion, and the law

The Words of the Week - Apr. 19

Lookups from sports, politics, and the arts

The Words of the Week - Apr. 12

Lookups from the eclipse, religion, and the world of celebrity

The Words of the Week - Apr. 5

Lookups from politics, celestial bodies, and the law

The Words of the Week - Mar. 29

Lookups from the law, politics, and Easter

The Words of the Week - Mar. 22

Lookups from politics, the seasons, and Saint Patrick's Day

The Words of the Week - Mar. 15

Lookups from the worlds of math, the British royal family, and the legal system

The Words of the Week - Mar. 8

Lookups from politics, political figures, and political events

The Words of the Week - Mar. 1

Lookups from the calendar, the arts, and the English language

The Words of the Week - Feb. 23

Lookups from politics, Alabama, and United States history

The Words of the Week - Feb. 16

Lookups from politics, holidays, and Samuel Johnson

The Words of the Week - Feb. 9

Lookups from California, sports, and the economy

The Words of the Week - Feb. 2

Lookups from social media, politics, and football

The Words of the Week - Jan. 26

Lookups from politics, entertainment, and Robert Burns

The Words of the Week - Jan. 19

Lookups from entertainment, politics, and publishing

The Words of the Week - Jan. 12

Lookups from the presidential race, the justice system, and the coming of the Magi

The Words of the Week - Jan. 5

Lookups from Europe, higher education, and the new year

The Words of the Week - Dec. 29

Lookups from the holidays, the economy, and environmentalism

The Words of the Week - Dec. 22

Lookups from the calendar, the holidays, and NFT theft

Archaic Words We Know from Christmas Songs

You only need to know these words for one month out of the year

The Words of the Week - Dec. 15

Lookups from late night television, higher education, and the law

The Words of the Week - Dec. 8

Lookups from the Supreme Court, Congress, and the atmosphere

The Words of the Week - Dec. 1

Lookups from Parliament, international relations, and advertising

Word of the Year 2023

Merriam-Webster's 2023 Word of the Year is 'Authentic'

The Words of the Week - Nov. 24

Lookups from the holidays, the Middle East, and presidential history

The Words of the Week - Nov. 17

Lookups from politics, the Middle East, and international relations

The Words of the Week - Nov. 10

Lookups from publishing, politics, and the clock

The Words of the Week - Nov. 3

Dictionary lookups from politics, New York, and volcanology

The Words of the Week - Oct. 27

Lookups from Maine, congress, and sports

The Words of the Week - Oct. 20

Lookups from the House of Representatives, federal court, and the New York Times word games section

The Words of the Week - Oct. 13

Lookups from politics, the celestial skies, and brunch

The Words of the Week - Oct. 6

Lookups from medicine, politics, and conspiracy theories

The Words of the Week - Sept. 29

Lookups from the Republican debates, the picket lines, and the armed services

We Added 690 New Words to the Dictionary for September 2023

Ngl, this update is a big one

The Words of the Week - Sept. 22

Lookups from the United Nations, politics, and high school football

The Words of the Week - Sept. 15

Lookups from Hollywood, the Atlantic, and the U.S. Open

The Words of the Week - Sept. 8

Lookups from Burning Man, New York City, and publishing

The Words of the Week - Sept. 1

Lookups from politics, school, and religion

Word We're Watching: 'Cap'

And where 'no cap' comes from

The Words of the Week - Aug. 25

Lookups from politics, Russia, and the judicial system

The Words of the Week - Aug. 18

Lookups from Georgia, California, and Deep Space

The Words of the Week - Aug. 11

Lookups from SCOTUS, politics, and the Alabama docks

Words of the Week - Aug. 4

Lookups from the Pleistocene, the Holocene, and the legal scene

The Words of the Week - July 28

Lookups from politics, sports, and social media

The Words of the Week - July 21

Lookups from tennis, politics, and the law

The Words of the Week - July 14

Lookups from politics, international affairs, and the Marine Corps

The Words of the Week - July 7

Lookups from social media, the White House, and Las Vegas

The Words of the Week - June 30

Lookups from protests, the Tour de France, and the Supreme Court

The Words of the Week - June 23

Lookups from the world of finance, maritime disasters, and the law

The Words of the Week - June 16

Lookups from Juneteenth, AI, and politics
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