If you are going to answer a trivia question about which English word has the most definitions, your answer might depend on when the question was written. The old champion was the word «set,» which had 430 definitions in the Second Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary published in 1989. This record was certified by the Guinness Book of World Records.
In that edition of the OED, the entry for set runs 60,000 words. It beats the others. Here are the runners-up for that edition:
Here’s how the others stack up:
- Run — 396 (definitions)
- Go — 368
- Take — 343
- Stand — 334
- Get — 289
- Turn — 288
- Put — 268
- Fall — 264
- Strike — 250
A New Champion for Number of Definitions
Language doesn’t stand still. While «set» was the champion since the first edition of the OED in 1928 (when it had a meager 200 meanings), it has been overtaken by the word «run.» However, since the next edition of the OED won’t be out until 2037, it hasn’t made it into the Guinness Book of World Records as the champion.
According to the OED’s chief editor, John Simpson, «run» has continued to evolve new meanings and had 645 as of 2011. In the interim, the word «put» has outpaced «set» in any case, and even replaces it in many usages. You might «put» something on a table rather than «set» it on a table.
How Should You Answer the Trivia Question?
This brings up a dilemma. How should you answer the question about which English word has the most definitions? If it’s possible to ask what authority has determined the answer, go with the word «set» if it is the second edition of the OED or the Guinness Book of World Records. If not, you may worry that the question is based on the New York Times interview with John Simpson in 2011 or a newer source.
Should You Use This Question in a Trivia Quiz?
If you are designing trivia or word game questions, it’s best just to drop this one as it is a moving target. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, «Modern English includes words from a wide variety of different sources around the world. Patterns of word-borrowing over time reflect the changing demography of its speakers; cultural and economic influences on Britain; the spread of English-speaking explorers, traders, and settlers; and encounters with other cultures.»
The English language has one of the largest vocabularies of all the languages of the world. The Oxford English Dictionary contains more than 600,000 words. They are all in a race to have more and more meanings. Even as new ones are added, older ones fall out of favor. You may not even recognize many of the uses of the words.
If you choose to use this as a question, you should cite which authority you are basing the answer on. Check the current Guinness World Record for a readily-accessible source.
Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images
- Though the English language has many quirks, one of its most interesting is homographs: words that are spelled identically but have different meanings or definitions.
- There are at least 10 words with hundreds of definitions each, like «go» and «put.»
- «Run» is anticipated to have approximately 645 different meanings in the next Oxford English Dictionary, set for a 2037 release.
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The English language is, indeed, a quirky one: it’s notoriously difficult to learn, and often words have more than one meaning.
Some of these words are called homographs. They’re spelled identically but have vastly different definitions. «Go» has 368, for instance, and «set» has 430. The word «run» is anticipated to have approximately 645 different meanings in the next Oxford English Dictionary, set for a 2037 release.
Keep scrolling to see which 10 words in the English language have the most definitions.
Run: 645 definitions
Syda Productions/Shutterstock
Though there is some debate surrounding the first place position of «run,» as one of the top homographs it has (an anticipated) 645 different definitions, according to a New York Times article from 2011.
The word is widely used to describe various activities: a computer runs a program, a car runs on gas, a candidate runs for office, etc. Of course, as with the rest of the English language, the word continues to evolve.
Set: 430 definitions
Keystone Features/Getty Images
Referred to as the «old chestnut» in the same New York Times article, «set» previously held the top position for the English word with the most definitions.
But «set» «hasn’t undergone as much development in the 20th and 21st centuries as has ‘run,'» Gilliver told the Times. Regardless, «set» holds strong at 430 definitions, per the 1989 O.E.D.
Go: 368 definitions
Prisma by Dukas/UIG via Getty Images
«Go» is one of the most ubiquitous everyday words in the English language. Like many others on this list, it can be a noun, adjective, and verb. It clocked in at 368 definitions in 1989’s O.E.D.
Its top meaning as a verb is «to move from one place to another; travel,» but it can also be «said in various expressions when angrily or contemptuously dismissing someone.» Used in a sentence: «Go and get lost!»
Take: 343 definitions
iStock
The word «take» is described by Merriam-Webster as «to get into one’s hands or into one’s possession, power, or control.» But its meanings stretch across a vast terrain: to «take something in» could also mean «to consider or view in a particular relation.»
It comes in a close fourth place, roughly 20 definitions less than «go:» 343 in the 1989 O.E.D.
Get: 289 definitions
Nicky J Sims/Getty Images
Like «go,» «getting» is one of those commonplace words that we use so much, we don’t even realize how much we use it. We «get» coffee.» We are «getting» dolled up for a date. We «got» a bad grade on that test.
According to the 1989 O.E.D., it has 289 definitions, to be exact.
Turn: 288 definitions
REUTERS/David Gray
The word «turn» is nestled closely behind, with only one less definition than «get.» It can take on many other meanings beyond «moving in a circular direction,» including «passing the age or time of» something. In a sentence: «I turned 40 last year.»
Put: 268 definitions
Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters
«In terms of sheer size, the entry for ‘run’ is half as big again as that for ‘put,'» said the New York Times article. But that doesn’t make «put» any less impressive, with exactly 268 definitions in total.
«Put» also may be a reason for «set»‘s decline in popularity, as we tend to use the former in favor of the latter these days. For example: we «put» the drinking glass down, rather than «set» it down.
Fall: 264 definitions
Eduardo Munoz/Reuters
Perhaps the most embarrassing of the list (in verb form, that is), «fall» clocks in at about 264 definitions in the O.E.D.
Though we all know fall’s most common definition as a verb — «to descend freely by the force of gravity» — it’s interesting to note that «fall» is also used to refer to lambs giving birth, according to Merriam-Webster.
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This is a question whose answer surprised me when I first heard it many years ago. I was well aware that many words had more than one meaning, and could think of a few obvious examples. Still, the answer, though it certainly has a few obvious different meanings, was not what I was expecting.
The word is set.
Plain, simple, unassuming set. Seems odd, doesn’t it? Of course straight away you can probably think of a few different meanings for it. It can be a verb meaning to arrange or put in order. It can be a noun referring to a united group of entities, either in an abstract mathematical sense, or the more mundane sense of a chemistry set. And tennis matches are divided into sets. And you can set something aside, or down.
So yes, a few different meanings, but it probably still sounds surprising that the Second Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary contains 430 definitions for set, and most other dictionaries will have about the same number. Have a look for yourself if you have one to hand.
There are a few main reasons set has so many definitions. First, it’s a hot verb, meaning it doesn’t have one simple main definition, but can be used with many different meanings, depending on the context. Second, this also means it’s used a lot as a phrasal verb, e.g. set down, set out, set out to, set up, which all count as distinct definitions in the dictionary. Set also has the advantage of its ability to be used as a number of different types of words. It can, for example, be a verb (set your watch), a noun (a mathematical set), and an adjective (a set number of people).
Still, don’t get too used to set claiming the top spot. In fact, if you look in some modern editions of dictionaries, you might find that run and put take up more space. Officially though, the Second Edition of the OED is taken to be the definitive authority on words and their meanings. The problem is, it was published in 1989, and obviously things have evolved linguistically since then. Never fear though, the third edition is being worked on right now, and we can expect that once it’s published, set will have been replaced as the word with the most definitions. They’ve been working on it since 2000 and are about halfway through, so eh, not too long to wait now!
Polysemous English words — Wall Street English. There are many English words that are pronounced and spelled exactly the same, but have completely different meanings. … But you get a double benefit, as marketers would say: several new English words at once to replenish the vocabulary for the price of one.
According to the Guinness Book of Records, the English word with the most meanings is set. It has 430 values. Here we will look at common examples of the meanings of ambiguous English words.
What words in English have multiple meanings?
And in order to read articles in English on your own and not feel discomfort, come to study at Skyeng.
- Run: 645 values …
- Set: 430 values …
- Go: 368 values …
- Take: 343 values …
- Stand: 334 values …
- Get: 289 values …
- Turn: 288 values …
- Put: 268 values
Why does one word have many meanings in English?
The English language is notable for the fact that a large number of words are polysemous. The linguistic name for this phenomenon is ‘polysemy’: from the Greek words ‘poly’ — ‘many’ and ‘sema’ — ‘meaning’. This very polysemy leads to our mistakes, misunderstanding and misinterpretation. … Their different meanings do not surprise us at all.
What’s the longest word in the English language?
The longest word found in the main dictionaries of the English language is pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis, which means lung disease from the inhalation of very small silica particles of volcanic ash; from a medical point of view, the disease is similar to that of silicosis.
What are unambiguous example words?
In modern Russian, there are words that have the same lexical meaning: bandage, appendicitis, birch, felt-tip pen, satin, etc. Such words are called unambiguous or monosemantic (gr.
What word in Russian has the most meanings?
Polysemous words can be among words belonging to any part of speech, except for numbers. Most polysemous words are observed among verbs. The word «go» can be called «champion» in terms of ambiguity. It has more than 40 meanings, and the verb «pull» has more than 20.
How to determine the meaning of a polysemantic word?
A word that has several lexical meanings is polysemantic. One meaning is direct, the rest are portable. A striking example of a polysemantic word is a key (spanner, treble, spring, key from the lock). Any independent part of speech can be polysemantic: a noun, an adjective, a verb, etc.
What are words with two meanings called?
Words that have two or more meanings are called polysemous. Words that answer the same question and have a similar meaning are called synonyms. Words that answer the same question, but have the opposite meaning, are called antonyms.
What are grade 2 polysemous words?
Polysemous words are words that have two or more lexical meanings. Explanatory dictionary — a dictionary that provides an explanation of the lexical meaning of a word.
Why are there so many synonyms in English?
Why are there so many synonyms in English?
It’s one thing when synonyms convey the subtlest shades of moods, qualities, intentions. … Third, you can practice your English listening skills once again — a little exercise for those seeking to improve their skills.
How many English languages?
Living languages
| Language | A type |
|---|---|
| English | West Germanic languages |
| Welsh | Celtic languages (British languages) |
| Scottish (Germanic) | West Germanic languages |
| Irish | Celtic languages (Goidel languages) |
What words refer to Homonyms?
Homonyms are words that match in sound and spelling, but have different meanings:
- glasses in a beautiful frame;
- score points in the game.
How many letters are there in the largest English word?
The longest words in English The longest word that can be found in the English dictionary contains 45 letters and calls the disease silicosis: Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis.
What does the word tetrahydropyranylcyclopentyltetrahydropyridopyridine mean?
Tetrahydropyranylcyclopentyltetrahydropyridopyridine is a 55-letter word describing a substance according to the patent of the Russian Federation No. 2285004. The word denoting age includes a numeral, spelled together, and the basis «-years».
What does the longest word in the world look like?
In the Guinness Book of Records, the 1993 edition, the word «X-ray electrocardiographic» was named the longest. It consists of 33 letters. In 2003, the word changed — «high-level discerning.» There are already 35 letters in it.
I am not a native speaker and it sometimes surprise me how many different meanings some words have. An example is the word call — when I was learning English I thought it was only «shout» or «to ring someone» but the list of meanings is almost endless: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/call .
What are some other such words so that I can be careful when interpreting their meaning? As if I could execute the query «give me a top ten list of words with most definition lines on TheFreeDictionary».
asked Sep 19, 2011 at 22:43
6
For a long time, «set» had the most meanings in the OED, but now it is «run». From the New York Times of 25th May 2011:
Which is the most lustrously complex word among the three quarters of
a million or so words and senses that make up this vast mongrel tongue
we know as the English language?Well, according to the O.E.D.’s chief editor, John Simpson, we now
have a winner — and a winner that may well say something about the
current state of English-speaking humankind. For while in the first
edition of the O.E.D., in 1928, that richest-of-all-words was “set”
(75 columns of type, some 200 senses), the victor in today’s rather
more frantic and uncongenial world is, without a doubt, the
three-letter word “run.”… Mr. Gilliver has finally calculated that there are for the verb-form alone of “run” no fewer than 645 meanings. A record.
In terms of sheer size, the entry for “run” is half as big again as that for “put,” a word on which Mr. Gilliver also worked some years ago. But more significantly still, “run” is also far bigger than the old chestnut “set,” a word that, says Mr. Gilliver, simply “hasn’t undergone as much development in the 20th and 21st centuries as has ‘run.’ ”
answered Sep 20, 2011 at 12:33
HugoHugo
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This is what I get using WRI curated data. Click to see a larger image.
For the record, the script used is:
r = SortBy[{Length[#[[2]]], #[[1]]}&/@({#, WordData[#]} & /@ DictionaryLookup[]), -First@# &]
BarChart[Transpose[r1][[1]],
ChartLabels ->
Placed[Text[Style[#, Italic, 24]] & /@ Transpose[r1][[2]], Center, Rotate[#, Pi/2] &]]
Edit
Just answering comments and other answers, here are the 76 meanings of break according to WRI.
1 Noun Flight
2 Noun Open Frame
3 Noun Dash
4 Noun Change Of Integrity
5 Noun Holdup
6 Noun Break Of Serve
7 Noun Shot
8 Noun Pause
9 Noun Modification
10 Noun Breach
11 Noun Fortuity
12 Noun Breakup
13 Noun Occurrent
14 Noun Crevice
15 Noun Hurt
16 Noun Interval
17 Verb Weaken
18 Verb Diminish
19 Verb Injure
20 Verb Fall
21 Verb Domesticate
22 Verb Change
23 Verb Turn
24 Verb Damage
25 Verb Change Integrity
26 Verb Divide
27 Verb Check
28 Verb Develop
29 Verb Break Off
30 Verb Interrupt
31 Verb Deaden
32 Verb Break Down
33 Verb Change Voice
34 Verb Go
35 Verb Lick
36 Verb Destroy
37 Verb Diphthongize
38 Verb Disrupt
39 Verb Pause
40 Verb Tell
41 Verb Get Out
42 Verb Outstrip
43 Verb Penetrate
44 Verb Become Punctured
45 Verb Detach
46 Verb Crumble
47 Verb Bust
48 Verb Disunite
49 Verb Shoot
50 Verb Modify
51 Verb Exchange
52 Verb Express Feelings
53 Verb Trip The Light Fantastic Toe
54 Verb Give Way
55 Verb Founder
56 Verb Appear
57 Verb Scatter
58 Verb Take Flight
59 Verb Get Away
60 Verb Change Direction
61 Verb Impoverish
62 Verb Designate
63 Verb Split
64 Verb Invalidate
65 Verb Break Away
66 Verb Ruin
67 Verb Disrespect
68 Verb Trespass
69 Verb Come About
70 Verb Emerge
71 Verb Violate
72 Verb Quit
73 Verb Give Up Habit
74 Verb Vary
75 Verb Finish
76 Interjection
answered Sep 20, 2011 at 1:45
Dr. belisariusDr. belisarius
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This trivia has already been studied. The top five words in the list are:
- set (464 definitions)
- run (396 definitions)
- go (368 definitions)
- take (343 definitions)
- stand (334 definitions)
answered Apr 24, 2012 at 5:45
BravoBravo
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I believe the answer is set. It has more than 200 definitions in the OED, organised thus:
-
To cause to sit, seat; to be seated, sit.
-
To sink, descend.
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To put in a definite place (the manner of the action being implied either in the verb itself or in the context).
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To place or cause to be in a position, condition, relation, or connection. (This group embraces a large number of uses in which the precise implication of sense depends mainly on the kind of construction employed.)
-
To appoint, prescribe, ordain, establish.
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To arrange, fix, adjust.
-
To place mentally, suppose, estimate.
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To put or come into a settled position or condition.
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To put in the way of following a course, cause to take a certain direction.
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Senses perhaps arising from reversal of construction or from ellipsis (their origin being often obscure).
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With prepositions in specialized senses.
-
With adverbs in specialized senses.
This is just for the verb usage, set is also used as an adjective, noun, conjunction and comb. form.
answered Apr 24, 2012 at 4:52
J D OConalJ D OConal
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The most polysemous word in the OED is set.
answered Sep 20, 2011 at 4:57
ShoeShoe
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Just to concur with Shoe, I remember reading long long ago — in the Guinness Book of Records of all places — that set has the most (22) distinct different meanings in English.
Another common problem among non-native users of English are phrasal verbs which can appear very similar but have quite different meanings, eg set up, set out, set off, set about, set on, set down, etc. Often native speakers will use these verbs in an attempt to simplify their language when talking to non-native speakers (eg, by using «set up» instead of «establish»), often having the opposite effect.
answered Sep 20, 2011 at 12:13
MattMatt
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In practical usage rather than dictionary definitions, thingamy probably has the most different meanings — it can mean any noun, depending on context, and I think there are more nouns than other parts of speech. There are other four-letter words which also take multiple meanings depending on context.
Another word which can take multiple meanings is ‘buffalo’ which can act as a noun ( the animal ), and adjectival phrase ( pertaining to the city ) and a verb ( to harass ) so ‘Buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo’ is possibly the longest sentence made of the same word repeated, parsed in a similar way to ‘London cats annoy London cats’
answered Dec 5, 2014 at 22:38
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