Help: Using TheFreeDictionary

Dictionary/Thesaurus

The Dictionary/Thesaurus tab is the default tab. When you begin a search on TheFreeDictionary's homepage, you will see results from the Dictionary/Thesaurus.

Page Tools

You can cite the results in a research paper, add a link to the results in a web document, or email the results to yourself or to a friend. You can also use this section to leave us feedback.

Cite/Link

This shows you how to cite an article in the proper MLA, APA, and Chicago formats. This tool is tab-aware, meaning it knows which tab you are citing information from; in the Dictionary/Thesaurus tab, the cite option shows the citation format for both the dictionary and thesaurus sections. The link option gives both the page URL and the HTML link information, which helps webmasters link to our information from their sites.

Email

Enables you to email anyone who may be interested in the information.

Feedback

Let us know exactly what you think about TheFreeDictionary.com. We invite you to send us suggestions, questions, praise, and complaints, so that we can make your next visit to the site even better!

Base Definition

When you search for a word using the Dictionary/Thesaurus tab, you will access the word's definition, pronunciation, phonetic spelling, part(s) of speech, and etymology.

Thesaurus

The Thesaurus, located below the dictionary definition in the main tab, lists the word's synonyms, related words, and antonyms.

Mentioned In

A unique feature that enables you to see what other words feature your search word in their definition. For example, if you search for the word "car," each listing in the “Mentioned in” section will include the word "car" in its definition or article.

References in Classic Literature

This section lists any available examples of how your word or phrase is used in great works of classic literature. You can click on “view in context” to access the full text of the relevant work in TheFreeLibrary.

Current Tab Browser

This browser shows you an alphabetical listing of the articles and entries that surround your search item in a particular dictionary or encyclopedia.

Full Browser

This browser shows you an alphabetical listing of the articles and entries that surround your search item in the entire FreeDictionary.

Other Tabs

In addition to the Dictionary/Thesaurus tab, TheFreeDictionary.com offers content from various sources, including subject-specific dictionaries as well as several encyclopedias. The different definitions and articles can be accessed by clicking on tabs on the top of the page.

The active tab is highlighted. The white tabs indicate that more information can be found under these tabs. The gray tabs indicate that there is no information under these tabs regarding the current word, although you can still click on those tabs to do a new search in that dictionary.

Content Warnings

Some TFD pages now have a yellow banner at the top that says, Note: This page may contain content that is offensive or inappropriate for some readers.

We display this banner on pages that contain things like expletives or graphic imagery in order to comply with new third-party requirements.

Some pages contain offensive terms. Why does a dictionary contain them at all? Because it's an educational tool. By its very nature, a dictionary defines all words, regardless of whether they are new or archaic, common or rare, good or bad. Therefore, it will include potentially offensive terms, as well as offensive slurs. A dictionary allows people to learn what words and phrases mean and, in the case of offensive terms and slurs, explicitly that they should not be used. In that way, a dictionary serves as a lexical museum, explaining how words have been used throughout history--and why certain ones should not be used today.

Sometimes, you might see a banner on a TFD page for a seemingly innocuous word. In those cases, it is likely that the word has expletives included in the Thesaurus section near the bottom of the Dictionary page, or that a graphic image appears in the word's Medical Dictionary tab. The banner is present on all tabs for the term, even if the problematic content only occurs on one of them.

We apologize for any inconvenience these banners may cause. We aim to make them as unobtrusive as possible while still meeting third-party requirements.