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When writing a research paper, you may need to quote or paraphrase the dictionary definition of a word. If you use an online dictionary, you can't just cite the print dictionary. A proper citation lets your readers go directly to the source you used. The basic information included in a citation to a dictionary website is the same regardless of the citation style you use. However, the format differs depending on whether you're using the Modern Language Association (MLA), American Psychological Association (APA), or Chicago citation style.

  1. 1

    Type the title of the entry first. Since dictionary entries typically don't have a known author, the first element in your MLA Works Cited entry is the word you looked up. Capitalize the word and put it in quotation marks. Place a period at the end of the word.[1]

    • Example: "Filibuster."

  2. 2

    Provide the title of the dictionary. After the entry, type the full title of the specific dictionary. Since dictionary companies typically publish several different editions, the title may differ from the title of the website. Place a comma after the title of the dictionary.[2]

    • Example: "Filibuster." Merriam-Webster's Learners Dictionary,

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  3. 3

    List the date the entry was published or updated. There may be a date on the entry page that indicates when the entry was published or last updated. Type this date using day-month-year format. Place a comma after the date.[3]

    • Example: "Filibuster." Merriam-Webster's Learners Dictionary, 16 July 2018,
    • If there is no date appears on the web page for the entry, simply leave this information out of the citation. Do not use the copyright date for the website.

  4. 4

    Include the name of the website and a direct URL. Type the name of the website in italics, followed by a period. Copy the direct URL (or "permalink) for the entry, leaving off the "http://" part of the address. Place a period after the URL. [4]

    • Example: "Filibuster." Merriam-Webster's Learners Dictionary, 16 July 2018, Merriam-Webster. www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/filibuster.

  5. 5

    Close your citation with the date you accessed the page. Type the word "Accessed," then type the date you last visited the page in day-month-year format. Place a period at the end of the date.[5]

    • Example: "Filibuster." Merriam-Webster's Learners Dictionary, 16 July 2018, Merriam-Webster. www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/filibuster. Accessed 27 July 2018.

  6. 6

    Use the title of the entry in your in-text citation. After the quote or paraphrase of the definition in your paper, place a parenthetical citation. This parenthetical points your readers to the full citation in your Works Cited. Place the title of the entry in quotation marks, just as it appears in the full citation. Since online dictionaries don't have page numbers, this is the only information you need in your parenthetical citation. Place a period after the closing parentheses.[6]

    • Example: ("Filibuster").

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  1. 1

    Start your reference list citation with the title of the entry. An APA citation normally starts with the author's name. However, since most dictionary entries don't have a named author, list the title of the entry first. Place a period at the end of the title.

    • Example: Filibuster.

  2. 2

    Provide the year of publication in parentheses. If the specific entry has a date of publication or date the entry was last updated, use that year. Otherwise, use the abbreviation "n.d." to indicate the entry is not dated. Place a period after the closing parentheses.

    • Example: Filibuster. (2018).

  3. 3

    Include the name of the dictionary and edition, if given. Type the word "In," followed by the name of the dictionary in italics. Use sentence-case, capitalizing only the first word and any proper nouns. If the website provides an edition number for the dictionary, include that in parentheses after the name of the dictionary. Do not italicize the edition number. Place a period at the end of this part of the citation.

    • Example: Filibuster. (2018). In Merriam-Webster's learners dictionary.
    • If the dictionary has a named editor, list that name before the name of the dictionary. For example: Filibuster. (2018). In I. M. Wordsmith (Ed.), Merriam-Webster's learners dictionary.

  4. 4

    Close with the direct URL for the entry. Type the words "Retrieved from," then copy and past the full URL or permalink for the word entry. Do not include any punctuation at the end of the URL.

    • Example: Filibuster. (2018). In Merriam-Webster's learners dictionary. Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/filibuster

  5. 5

    Use the title of the entry and year for in-text citations. When you quote or paraphrase the definition in your paper, place a parenthetical citation at the end of the sentence. Type the title of the entry in quotation marks, placing a comma after the title of the entry inside the closing quotation marks. Then type the year the entry was published or updated. If there was no date on the entry, use the abbreviation "n.d." Place a period after the closing parentheses.

    • Example: ("Filibuster," 2018).

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  1. 1

    Provide the name of the dictionary and title of the entry. Provide the full title of the dictionary in italics, followed by a comma. After the comma, type the abbreviation "s.v." This stands for the Latin phrase "sub verbo" ("under the word"), and indicates that there is no individually named author. Add the word you looked up in quotation marks. Place a comma after the word, inside the closing quotation marks.[7]

    • Example: Merriam-Webster's Learners Dictionary, s.v. "Filibuster,"

  2. 2

    List the date you accessed the entry. For online entries, type the word "accessed" followed by the date you last viewed the web page in month-day-year format. Place a comma after the date.[8]

    • Example: Merriam-Webster's Learners Dictionary, s.v. "Filibuster," accessed July 27, 2018,

  3. 3

    Copy the direct URL for the entry. Close out your bibliography entry with the direct URL or permalink for the word you want to cite. Place a period at the end of the URL to complete your citation.[9]

    • Example: Merriam-Webster's Learners Dictionary, s.v. "Filibuster," accessed July 27, 2018, http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/filibuster.

  4. 4

    Use the same format for footnotes in-text. Chicago footnotes typically have the same information as the bibliographic reference, but are formatted differently and use different punctuation. However, for online dictionaries, the footnote is exactly the same as the bibliographic entry.[10]

    • Example: Merriam-Webster's Learners Dictionary, s.v. "Filibuster," accessed July 27, 2018, http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/filibuster.
    • The abbreviation "s.v." also indicates to your readers that the source consists of alphabetical entries. Even if you were using a print dictionary, you wouldn't include the page number where the word appears. Rather, readers would simply look up the word.
    • Well-known dictionaries are typically only cited in footnotes, not in the bibliography. When in doubt, go ahead and include the bibliography entry – especially for online dictionaries.

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