Dictionary Citation Generator
Cite a dictionary entry — Merriam-Webster, the Oxford English Dictionary, or any online or print dictionary — in seconds. Enter the word, dictionary name, publisher, and year, and get a complete, formatted reference with the APA n.d. + retrieval-date rule applied. Works with APA, MLA, Chicago, IEEE, and 10,832 styles. Free, no sign-up.
Language
Dictionary Citation Examples
APA 7th editionReference list (online, n.d.)
Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Word. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved Month Day, Year, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/word
In-text: (Merriam-Webster, n.d.)
MLA 9th editionWorks Cited (online)
"Word." Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Year, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/word. Accessed Day Month Year.
In-text: ("Word")
APA 7th editionReference list (print edition)
Word. (Year). In Dictionary title (edition, p. xx). Publisher.
In-text: (Word, Year)
Online vs. Print Dictionaries
Dictionary entries share the same core fields, but the date and location details differ by edition:
- Online dictionaries (Merriam-Webster.com, the OED Online). Continuously updated and rarely archived — APA 7 uses n.d. for the date and asks for a retrieval date. Use the publisher as a group author (e.g., Merriam-Webster) and add the URL plus the date you accessed it.
- Print dictionaries. Cite with the word, the dictionary title, the edition, the publisher, and the year — plus a page number when the entry is on a numbered page. No URL or retrieval date.
- Signed entries. Specialized or scholarly dictionaries sometimes name an author for an entry — put that person in the author field and cite the entry like a signed reference-work article.
How to Cite a Dictionary Entry
- 1. Gather the entry details. Note the word, the dictionary name, the publisher (group author), the year or edition for print, and the URL plus retrieval date for online entries.
- 2. Enter them & pick a style. The generator above opens on the Dictionary entry source type — fill the fields in and choose APA, MLA, Chicago, IEEE, or any of the 10,832 styles. Leave the year blank for an online entry to get APA's n.d.
- 3. Cite. We build a full reference with the word, dictionary, publisher, and date. Edit any field, then copy or export it to BibTeX, RIS, CSV, or Word.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I generate a citation for a dictionary entry?
- Open the generator above on the Dictionary entry source type, then enter the word or entry you looked up, the dictionary name (e.g., Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary or the Oxford English Dictionary), the publisher, and the year — and the URL plus retrieval date for online entries. Pick your citation style and click Generate Citation — CitationEasy formats the reference and you can edit any field before copying or exporting it.
- How do I cite a Merriam-Webster.com dictionary entry in APA 7?
- Merriam-Webster.com is continuously updated and not archived, so APA 7 treats it as a group-authored work with no publication date and requires a retrieval date. The form is: Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Word. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved Month Day, Year, from URL. Enter 'Merriam-Webster' as the author/publisher, the word as the entry, 'Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary' as the dictionary name, leave the year blank for n.d., and add the URL and the date you accessed it — the generator applies the n.d. and Retrieved-from format.
- Do I need a retrieval date when citing an online dictionary?
- Yes for continuously updated, unarchived dictionaries. APA 7 requires a retrieval date for sources that change over time without a stable published or archived version — online dictionaries such as Merriam-Webster.com are the textbook example. A dated print edition or a stable, archived entry does not need one. MLA 9 lists the access date as optional but recommends it for online sources. Add it in the retrieval-date field above when in doubt.
- How do I cite a print dictionary entry?
- A print dictionary entry is cited with the word, the dictionary title, the edition, the publisher, the year, and — when the entry sits on a numbered page — the page number, with no URL or retrieval date. For an unsigned entry, begin with the word (the entry title) in the author position. Fill in the year and publisher and leave the URL and retrieval-date fields blank for a print edition.
- Who is the author of a dictionary entry?
- Most dictionary entries are unsigned, so the publisher or the dictionary's organization is treated as a group author — for example, 'Merriam-Webster' for Merriam-Webster.com. In APA 7 that group name goes in the author position; in MLA 9 an unsigned entry usually begins with the word in quotation marks. Enter the publisher in the author field, or leave it blank to start the reference with the word.
- Which citation styles does the dictionary generator support?
- All 10,832 styles in our library, including APA 7th, MLA 9th, Chicago, IEEE, Harvard, Vancouver, and AMA. Choose your style before or after entering the details and the reference reformats instantly.
- Is the dictionary citation generator free?
- Yes. It is 100% free with no sign-up, no ads, and no limits. Your citations are saved locally in your browser and can be exported to BibTeX, RIS, CSV, or Word.