How to Cite a Dictionary Entry

Dictionary entries and word definitions.

What You'll Need

Term/Word
Short title
Dictionary
Edition
Publisher
Date Published
Page
URL
Date Accessed

Include the headword or entry term, dictionary title, edition, and year. For online dictionaries, note the URL and access date.

Example Citations

APA 7th edition
Algorithm. (2025). In Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/1019775631
In-text (“Algorithm,” 2025)
MLA 9th edition
“Algorithm.” Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Sept. 2025, https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/1019775631.
In-text (“Algorithm”)
Chicago 18th edition (notes and bibliography)

Cited in the notes only. This style gives it no entry in the bibliography.

Footnote Oxford English Dictionary, “Algorithm” (Oxford University Press, September 2025), https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/1019775631.
Harvard (Cite Them Right 12th edition)
‘Algorithm’ (2025) Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/1019775631.
In-text (‘Algorithm’, 2025)
IEEE
[1]
“Algorithm,” Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press, Sep. 2025. doi: 10.1093/OED/1019775631.
In-text [1]

Numbered by order of appearance in your document.

Vancouver
1.
Algorithm. In: Oxford English Dictionary [Internet]. Oxford University Press; 2025 [cited 2026 Oct 18]. Available from: https://www.oed.com/dictionary/algorithm_n
In-text (1)

Numbered by order of appearance in your document.

Other Source Types

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