Produced by Oxford's American 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, and on-line, too.

To provide unprecedented clarity, the entries are organized around core meanings, reflecting the way people think about words and eliminating the clutter and confusion of a traditional dictionary entry. Each entry plainly shows the major meaning or meanings of the word, plus any related senses, arranged in intuitive constellations of connected meanings. Definitions are supplemented by illustrative, in-context examples of actual usage.

This major new edition of The New Oxford American Dictionary includes a guide to the pronunciations on every page, a new etymology essay by Anatoly Liberman, completely updated and revised maps, and more than a thousand new entries, covering everything new in our language from low-carb to warblog and beyond.

This edition of The New Oxford American Dictionary also includes a lexicographical first--a portable version of the entire dictionary that can be downloaded to your PDA or smartphone! Have the authority of The New Oxford American Dictionary at your fingertips, wherever you are. Keep the print edition by your favorite reading chair and download the portable version to your phone or PDA, and you'll never be at a loss for words.

All Oxford American dictionaries use an easy-to-use respelling system to show how entries are pronounced. It uses simple, familiar markings to represent common American English sounds.

The New Oxford American Dictionary is designed to serve the user clearly, simply, and quickly, with the precise guidance you expect from Oxford University Press. With 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.

Web Site

A companion web site is now available at www.oup.com/us/noad.

"This new dictionary offers an atypical layout and a new approach to presenting definitions and meanings....With its unique approach to language, this is easy to use and provides clear, well-written definitions. Recommended for most libraries."--Library Journal "Utilizing the latest techniques for analyzing word usage and meaning, the editors have compiled more than 250,000 definitions and 9000 biographical and geographical entries in an accessible resource with a distinctly American voice....An understated presentation exuding precision ands authority, it is an essential tool."--School Library Journal [STARRED REVIEW]

"The gold standard of American dictionaries."--Providence Journal "The words in NOAD are taken from the 200-million-word databank of the North American Reading Program of Oxford University Press and the files of the Oxford English Dictionary. ....The definitions are clear and descriptive but still provide technical information when necessary."--Booklist

"Oxford's new dictionary not only examines modern American english vocabulary and usage, but presents a new model of how dictionaries may be written....A well-designed dictionarry, recommended for all libraries."--Choice

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.