New Words in the Dictionary

Language is the system we use to speak, write, and sign (manually) to express ourselves within our social groups. Distinctive to our species, it gives us a powerful means to inform, play, imagine, persuade, and release (e.g., our feelings).

While a specific number can vary, many estimates suggest that English includes more than one million words, although far fewer appear in dictionaries. According to its website, the current Oxford English Dictionary includes over 500,000 words.

Sources appear to agree that dictionaries add approximately 1,000 new words each year. In September 2023, Merriam-Webster.com added 690 new words. In 2022, the Oxford dictionary added 650.

With that in mind, we thought it’d be fun to look at some newer words that have recently entered English dictionaries. Some might sound familiar, especially among younger communicators, while others may appear novel. Either way, they convey the continuing ways we give fresh meaning and life to our thoughts and perceptions.

New Dictionary Words Fall 2024

Note that some of the following new entries may be listed in some dictionaries but not others. Certain words also may have been in use for a while before their inclusion.

backhaul (verb): to transport goods back over a route previously travelled with another cargo

baller (noun, informal slang): a successful person, especially one with a lavish or self-indulgent lifestyle; also a player of a ball game, usually with great talent

bootstrap paradox (noun): in science fiction, a closed loop created by time travel in which a person or object is sent back in time and the resulting timeline unfolds such that at its conclusion that person or object is sent back in time, once again setting off the timeline of events resulting in their being sent back in time in an infinite loop

bow echo (noun): a characteristic curved line seen in the radar image of a line of thunderstorms; also a storm containing a front of this shape

chair yoga (noun): a form of yoga in which modified postures and breathing exercises are performed while seated or with the support of a chair

cold open (noun): a scene, sketch, etc., that appears at the start of a show or film, often before the title sequence or credits, especially to hook viewers into the story

cosplay (verb): to dress up in costume as (a character, esp. from anime, manga, video games, etc.); to perform as a character while dressed in this manner

cringe (adj., informal slang): embarrassing or awkward, e.g., “That shirt he’s wearing is so cringe!”

cromulent (adj.): fine or acceptable (origin The Simpsons)

dad bod (noun, informal slang): a physique lacking muscular definition and often having a bit of a belly, including to describe a man who was perhaps more physically fit in his youth before his body changed as he aged

down-firing (adj.): of a speaker unit, esp. a subwoofer, directing sound down toward a floor’s surface, typically to radiate or reflect bass frequencies

faux-hawk (noun): a hairstyle featuring a central ridge of upright hair but with the sides gathered

fluffernutter (noun): a decadent sandwich containing marshmallow spread and peanut butter between slices of white bread

figurehead (verb): to lead (an enterprise, organization, etc.), esp. only nominally and with little or no power

flirtationship (noun): a period of repeated flirtatious behavior between two people; a social relationship which is based on and does not go beyond reciprocal flirting

frontlash (noun): a reaction to a backlash; a counterreaction to a political or social backlash

front-paging (noun): the action of featuring something on the front page of a newspaper or the front cover of a magazine

Generation Alpha (Gen A) (noun): people born between 2010 and 2025

jorts (noun): a pair of shorts made of denim, e.g., a pair of jeans cut off above the knee

kayfabe (noun): a tacit agreement between professional wrestlers and their fans to pretend that overtly staged wrestling events are genuine

manosphere (noun): a loosely affiliated network of masculinist websites, blogs, and online forums

metaverse (noun): an environment of multiple virtual realities individualized for each user; also a reference to the hypothetical combination of all universes

memeify (verb): to turn into a meme; to make the subject of a meme

microtransaction (noun): online transactions involving a small amount of currency

rizz (noun): the ability to attract a romantic partner through style, charm, or physical appeal; charisma (*Oxford University Press’ word of the year for 2023)

sabb (noun): short for sabbatical officer, a student who holds a full-time paid position in a student union or similar body

shadow ban (verb): to cause a user or their content to be hidden from some or all other users, usually without the user’s knowledge

shrinkflation (noun): a reduction of the volume or amount of a product per unit without lowering the price

simp (verb): typically indicating a man, to be excessively attentive or submissive to someone, especially toward a romantic interest

speedrunning (noun): attempting to complete a video game, or a specific section of a video game, in as short a time as possible

spidey sense (noun): originally referring to the fictional superhero Spider-Man, a supernatural ability or power to perceive or intuit something as risky or dangerous

throuple (noun): three people who are engaged or married to one another or involved as romantic partners

touch grass (verb): to participate in normal activities in the real world, especially as opposed to online experiences and interactions

turnt (adj.): stimulated or intoxicated by alcohol or drugs; also extremely energized or excited, highly charged; often with up

wild child (noun): a young person regarded as rebellious, reckless, impulsive, or unrestrained

wingsuiting (noun): the action or sport of skydiving, base jumping, etc., while wearing a wingsuit

zeitgeisty (adj., informal slang): relating to or expressing the general trend of thought, feeling, or tastes characteristic of a particular period

 These new entries serve as further proof that, just like the world they emerge to describe, our words expand our record of the change that will always be intrinsic to the human experience.

Related Topic

How Does a Word Become a Word?
What Is a Root Word?
Putting Out the Patrol for Made-Up Words

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