The New Oxford American Dictionary

by Oxford University Press

An American dictionary--in the Oxford tradition. Produced by Oxford's U.S. Dictionaries Program, and drawing on the expertise of scores of American scholars and advisors, The New Oxford American Dictionary sets the standard of excellence for lexicography in this country. Here is the most accurate and richly descriptive picture of American English ever offered in any dictionary. Oxford's American editors drew on our 200-million-word databank of contemporary North American English, plus the unrivaled citation files of the world-renowned Oxford English Dictionary. We started with American evidence--an unparalleled resource unique to Oxford. Our staff logged more than 50 editor-years, checking every entry and every definition. Oxford's ongoing North American Reading Program, begun in the early 1980s, keeps our lexicographers in touch with fresh evidence of our language and usage--in novels and newspapers, in public records and magazines. To provide unprecedented clarity, the entries are organized around core meanings, eliminating clutter and confusion, especially in longer entries. Rather than a litany of numbered senses, the structure of each entry plainly shows the major meaning or meanings of the word, plus any related senses, supplemented by illustrative, in-context examples of actual usage. In short, The New Oxford American Dictionary is designed to serve the user clearly, simply, and quickly, with a full measure of information value and precise guidance. Truly a revolution in the art and craft of dictionary-making, The New Oxford American Dictionary provides the in-depth and up-to-date coverage that all users need and expect--for reading and study, for technical terms, for language guidance. It continues the tradition of scholarship and lexicographic excellence that are the hallmarks of every Oxford dictionary.

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

Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1962

About the author

Oxford University Press (OUP), a department of the University of Oxford, is the largest university press in the world. The university became involved in printing around 1480, becoming a major source of Bibles, prayer books and scholarly works. It took on the Oxford English Dictionary project in the late 19th century, and in order to meet the ever-rising costs of the work, it expanded into publishing children's books, school text books, music, journals, and the World's Classics series. OUP is committed to major financial support of the university and to furthering the university's excellence in scholarship, research and education through its publishing.

Reviews

[Patti · Rating 4 out of 5]

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

[blueMeridian · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 · Rating 1 out of 5]

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 · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 · Rating 4 out of 5]

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

[bARRY · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

[celine lagdameo · Rating 1 out of 5]

no character development

[Seth McClure · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ending is weak. Especially the X's.

[John Hawkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

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

[Kirsten · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 · Rating 2 out of 5]

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

[Particle_Person · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like the usage notes in this dictionary.

[Mrs Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

it's the damn dictionary LOL

[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.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book to have on your Kindle for reference!

[Emma Chambers · Rating 1 out of 5]

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

[Peter Cameron]

A little dry

[Janet Denise Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a dictionary.

[Piss lizard boi · Rating 4 out of 5]

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

[Larry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lacked characterization, no discernible story arcs.

[Ella · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Colin Browning · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring:

adjective

not interesting; tedious.

The dictionary is boring.