The New Oxford American Dictionary

by Oxford Dictionaries, Erin McKean (Editor)

"Oxford's American editors drew on its 200-million-word databank of contemporary English, plus the citation files of the Oxford English Dictionary. The result is an all-new and updated American dictionary, the crowning achievement in the Oxford line of American dictionaries and thesauruses." "To provide unprecedented clarity, the entries are organized around core meanings, reflecting the way people think about words and eliminating the clutter and confusion of a traditional dictionary entry. Each entry plainly shows the major meaning or meanings of the word, plus any related senses, arranged in intuitive constellations of connected meanings. Definitions are supplemented by illustrative, in-context examples of actual usage." This new edition of The New Oxford American Dictionary includes a guide to the pronunciations on every page spread, a new etymology essay, completely updated and revised maps, and more than a thousand new entries, covering everything new in our language from low-carb to warblog and beyond.

Genres: Reference, Nonfiction, Dictionaries, Ebooks, Writing, Language, Classics

945077 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1962

Reviews

[Patti]

The plot really sucked! I couldn't follow it at all. :(

[blueMeridian]

I have a confession to make: I love dictionaries. I love to read dictionaries. Each entry is like a mini-story! The implications of a word's history!

Although a bit hefty for casual reading, The New Oxford American Dictionary covers an admirable portion of the English language, complete with numerous slang references (a warning for the purists) and many illustrative icons. Currently my favorite dictionary.

[Adeline]

Wordy

[Kristen Johansen]

My Kindle uses this dictionary. Very often, I am told the following....

"in·ter·po·la·tor: n. a person who interpolates something."

ARE YOU KIDDING ME WITH THIS?!?!?

[Dana Ross]

Cover to cover page turner. I couldn't put it down.
Fascinating.
I read and reread it almost every day.

[M]

I kinda put this on as a joke, but as I'm nearing the district spelling bee, I'm thinking I actually should read it.

[Gary Anderson]

It's a dictionary. It is a good reference tool.

[celine lagdameo]

no character development

[bARRY]

it has a definition for "blah," although not for the word "janky."

[Seth McClure]

Ending is weak. Especially the X's.

[John Hawkins]

How does one read a dictionary? It is in use. A bit wordy. I have not read it front to back.

[William Gregory]

What a thrill!
For all fans of reading, books, or even just words, this is a must read.
When on the search for my next book I was captivated by this tome sitting on one of the bookshelves I rarely look at (the one in the north east corner of the living room, not the large one in the corridor that leads on to the kitchen) and knew from the first glance at its thick and crinkled spine that this would be my next endeavour. And boy do I feel lucky that I did!

Sadly this was an American language book so there were some sections that were obviously not written with an Australian in mind, but I feel this gave me the opportunity to transplant myself in a different culture. Specifically the chapters on color, mom, and cilantro are eye-opening. For all Macquarie Dictionary fans out there (yes I’m talking to you) I would highly recommend this as a great jumping point for getting into foreign language dictionaries. I’m sure this excursion into the exotic pages of an unfamiliar language will prepare me for Collins German Pocket Dictionary (wish me luck!).

Now into some favourite sections:
Jeremiad, noun
A cautionary or angry harangue

Cad, noun
A man who acts with deliberate disregard for another's feelings or rights

Flecking, adjective
1. Of particular similarity to the smell of a foal
2. OR, a speed at which a frightened women runs in high heels

Beautiful, adjective
Generally pleasing : EXCELLENT

Pupplechuck, verb
To applaud the spectacular achievement of a loved one unexpectedly


This book will always have a place in my heart. It came to me at just the right time in my life. I was feeling empty, depressed, and enervated (lacking physical, mental, or moral vigor). This beast fell into my lap and nothings been the same since. I have a new lease on life. I have a reason to read. I have a lens through which to approach new literature.
Some may look down on dictionary readers as emotionally stunted, socially awkward, as missing out on the wonders of fiction, or the actually important facts presented in more general non-fiction. But I proudly stand in front of you (figuratively) and proclaim myself a dictionary reader!
And I invite you, if you will join me, to read words about words.

[Kirsten]

Always a classic you will return to again and again! I return to read favorite passages frequently.


{Added when Kindle opened it}.

[T.Kay Browning]

My kid apparently gave the kindle dictionary two stars. My hope for the future is diminished.

[Mrs Ross]

it's the damn dictionary LOL

[Emma Chambers]

kinda terrible. wasnt fun to read, no plot, very hard vocab smh

[Particle_Person]

I really like the usage notes in this dictionary.

[Julia]

Look, a dictionary never wears the label "read" in the past tense. This is a valuable tool, and I frequently turn through its "pages" but, no, I have not "read" the entirety. Solid, easy to navigate, and dependable.

[Donadee's Corner]

Great book to have on your Kindle for reference!

[Peter Cameron]

A little dry

[jayyyyyy]

Eh. Kinda boring. At least i found out a new word to use as an insult. “Shandygaff”

[Janet Denise Ross]

Date I finished this book: NEVER

Words are important regardless if by spoken word or written word, and it is best to know the meaning of a word in all uses, before you start putting it in your speech/writing patterns; also by knowing the meaning of words will you know the correct way to respond when they are aimed at you. The New Oxford is great to be on hand just to clarify a word or words that you might be a little foggy on or don't know at all, one should never just rely on others to convey the meaning of words in a message, because words do sometimes receive you different reactions from different people. It never hurts to learn the meaning of a new word, expanding ones vocabulary is a life long pleasure.

[Rebecca]

ok I accidently opened this and now its saying I am reading this lol there needs to be a option to delete a book if you opened it by accident or you read a small amount and don't want to read it now or even if it's so awful you just can't read anymore. I don't like to review a book I haven't read all the way thru so putting an option for "have read so many chapters or pages but just not interesting" or something like that, just so you can get it off your list. I do look something up now and then in the dictionary but I sure don't read it like a book lol. But I sure will give it 5 stars because hey it's a dictionary that has good info in it so everyone should have one handy.

[Jim Syler]

The best dictionary of American English I've ever found. I wish they would kill most of the "personality" entries (I don't go to a dictionary to find out who Michael Jackson was), but that's just about the only flaw. This is the only prescriptive (as opposed to descriptive) dictionary of American English I'm aware of. This is the book I go to to find out what a word actually means, as opposed to how it's been used in popular culture in the last few years, which is how most dictionaries work.

[Kristi]

It's a dictionary. Pretty self explanatory.

[Rob Grondahl]

Loved it! Probably could have used an editor. I think a lot of it is just made up.

[Steve Ros]

It's a dictionary.

[Piss lizard boi]

Good book, can someone explain the lore to me though? I want to understand what happened in chapter 5

[Larry]

Lacked characterization, no discernible story arcs.

[Ella]

This is in place of the book jolt that i've read twice now and can't put double ups on so yeah. Jolts (By bernard Beckett) is a good book. You should read it.