How To Cite a Dictionary in Chicago/Turabian
Published August 10, 2012. Updated June 21, 2022.
If you need to define an important word in your paper, you should provide a citation for the dictionary entry for that term. This guide will show you how to cite an online dictionary entry in notes-bibliography style using the 17th edition of the Chicago Manual of Style.
Citing an online dictionary entry
Note: Popular dictionaries should be referenced in the notes only, but lesser-known dictionaries can be included in the bibliography if needed. See sections 14.232 and 14.233 of the Chicago Manual of Style for additional information.
Structure:
1. Dictionary Title, s.v. “Definition word (part of speech),” accessed Month Date, Year, URL.
Example:
1. Oxford Dictionaries, s.v. “food baby (n.),” accessed October 22, 2013, https://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/food-baby.
Note: To cite a print dictionary entry in the notes, the entry would follow the same format, but the accessed date and URL would be omitted (Oxford Dictionaries, s.v. “food baby (n.).”)
