A guide to write a dictionary entry for students.

1. How to Write a Dictionary
Definition
Here are a few ideas to make your definitions as helpful and
as powerful as they should be. These steps are appropriate
for a descriptive definition of how a term is actually used.
Note that this is a more demanding process than writing a
prescriptive definition, such as one defining how an author
will use a term in a document.
Steps!

2. 1Find examples of the word in use. Google
(and especially Google Books) are excellent
resources for finding citations. Citations provide
evidence that the word is in use and show how it is
used.

3. 2 Examine how the word functions in the
examples that you find.
3 Determine the part of speech of the word, for the sense or
senses you wish to define. This will help you write the right
definition.
oDevice
oProgram
oBrand
oApplication

4. 4 Make further distinctions within the parts
of speech. Is it an application for cell phones or
computers? Is it portable device?
5 Choose a specific sense of the word and think about the
word's meaning in that sense. One good way to go about this is to
consider how you would explain this word to a small child or a person
who is just beginning to speak the language. Avoid using descriptive
words that are more complicated than the word in question, unless you
also explain their meaning.

5. 6 Explore the word. What other words
seem similar? What words are close?
What is the difference between this word
and other related words?
7 Think of synonyms (words that mean
the same) and antonyms (words that mean
the opposite) for the word. Some of these
can go into the definition, if they are
appropriate.

6. 8 Describe the word. While it's perfectly all right to
include synonyms in the definition, a definition composed
entirely of synonyms may not be as helpful as it could be.
Thus, try to be as descriptive as possible.
If the word has a range of meanings, you'll need to address
each one separately.
9 Use words in the definition that will be familiar to a
reader who does not already know the word being
defined. .

7. 10 Write the definition in the typical
style of a dictionary. Phrases such as "This
word is used to..." or "Describes a situation in
which..." may help to get you started, but edit
them out of your final definition.
11 Write the definition so that it matches the
part of speech. Verb definitions will contain many
verbs; noun definitions, many nouns.
Most verb definitions will begin with the word "to". For
instance, a definition for the verb "pause" might read,
"To stop briefly or temporarily; to interrupt a process or
activity and later resume it."
Noun definitions may begin with the words "a", "an" or
"the".

8. 12 Read your definition and make
sure that it agrees with the word and
the sense you are trying to define.
13 Have somebody else read your definition
and tell you if it makes sense.

9. Tips
•Read some entries in a dictionary or glossary
and take note of the style in which definitions
are written.
•Consult other dictionaries to see what they
have to say about your word. Synthesizing a
selection of other definitions can help you
write your own, or help you learn to write your
own definitions independently.
•Notice how you learn most words: from
context. This is why it's important to seek out
examples of the context of a word before
attempting to define it.

10. Warnings
Avoid describing the word by what it is not - focus on
describing what it is.
Avoid circular definitions, especially if you are defining
multiple words. There is a tendency, when defining
words, to circle back to the word or root with which
one began. While it may be legitimate to define an
adverb in terms of the adjective from which it has
grown (for example, ridiculously - in a ridiculous
manner), this sort of definition supposes that the
word ridiculous is defined somewhere. Generally,
avoid using variations of the word being defined in the
definition.