Menu Toggle
Merriam-Webster Logo
Games & Quizzes
Games & Quizzes
Word of the Day
Grammar
Wordplay
Word Finder
Thesaurus
Join MWU
Shop
Books
Merch
Settings
My Words
Recents
Account
Log Out
More
Thesaurus
Join MWU
Shop
Books
Merch
Log In
Username
My Words
Recents
Account
Log Out
Est. 1828
Wordplay
Science & Nature
'Tis the (Flu) Season: The History of ‘Influenza’
The stars aligned so you could feel miserable.
A Cast of 12 Astrological Words
It's written in the stars
The Many Origin Stories of 'Nerd'
Theories from there to back again
12 Pairs of Commonly Confused Animal Words
The animal words went in two by two, hurrah, hurrah!
7 Common Idioms That Come from Chickens
Don't ask us which came first
'Opossum,' O Lovely 'Possum'
On a marsupial with various names
What Is a 'Coulrophobe' So Afraid Of?
Unusual Phobias, Vol. 2
7 Especially Fitting Common Names for Plants
So you don't mix up your Swiss Cheese plants with your Dutchman's Breeches
Fruit vs. Vegetable
Are you sure you know which is what?
When Body Parts Are Also Verbs
Head, shoulders, metaphors, and toes
12 Words That Secretly Come from Body Parts
Anatomy As Etymology
Ten Words from the Harvest
A bumper crop for the feast.
Civil Twilight & Calculating The Day
It's not part of the vampire book series.
How many scruples in a dram?
The origins of 8 units of measurement
An Effective History of 'Placebo'
The active ingredient is knowledge.
9 Slang Words With Academic Origins
Class is in session.
A 'Ladybug's' Spots
No, there are no gentlemanbugs
How Perceptive of You, Part 2: More Words About Perception
Seeming is sometimes believing
7 Words in the Wind
If you listen you can hear them rustling
Machiavellianism and (A Whole Lot) More
Top 10 Unusually Long and Interesting Words, Vol. 1
The Infernal History of 'Turtle'
And you thought they were so cute.
7 Unfamiliar Words for Familiar Creatures
'Camelopard', 'sea devil', and more
A Journey to the Moon in 12 Words
Read this before attempting a moon shot
1 of 2
1
2
Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play
Play
Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play
Play
Word of the Day
ominous
See Definitions and Examples
»
Get Word of the Day daily email!