Word search using definitions

Where can I search for words using descriptive sentences? For example, now I’m looking for a word meaning «to purify (by hand) a quantity of grain and take away anything that isn’t good grain.»

How could I get words like that? I know it in my first-language, but I don’t have a classic version of it to use in automatic translators.

Maybe a search engine that uses content words from my description and offers words that could mean the same with their dictionary definitions. Nothing I’d tried in (translate.)google.com gave me the desired result.

Update:

An example dictionary that I use is (Oxford’s Word-Power Dictionary). It’s not for the purpose of the question but for clarification.

Oxford’s has a 3,000 word list of ‘bare-bone-essentials.’ It contains the most-used words in English and all of the grammatical operators. Ideally, these are the words necessary for a learner to use an English-English dictionary such as Oxford’s. The descriptions of words in Oxford’s rely on this list for definitions.

An electronic (web-based) dictionary for word-meaning-search should have a larger list (maybe 10,000) and use a thesaurus to down-level difficult words a user may use in the search then, using all content words in the search phrase, present a list of words whose definitions seem appropriate. Another regular dictionary may be used from there.

• Example:

  Search query: «to use hands to purify a quantity of grain taking away anything that isn’t good grain.»

  Content Words: «use-hands; purify; quantity-of-grain; taking-away; anything; isn’t; good-grain»

  Filtered: «use-hands; clean; quantity-of-seeds; take-away;anything; not-good-grain»

  Words: «1; 2; 3; 4» that use the content words to varying degrees.

And that’s a five minutes’ work!

PS. Sorry about the delay; connection problems…

1. Word finder
2. Word definitions

One of the annoying, charming things about language is that definitions are squishy; there’s no one perfect definition.

Each speaker of the language will have a slightly different idea of what “bread” tastes and looks like, for instance, or about whether a “soirée” is classier or tackier or more passé than a “party”. This is part of the individual speaker’s idiolect.

It can thus be useful when you’re learning a language to get various ideas of how a word is defined and used, from various sources.

Below are a couple of hacks for doing that in a single click.

The Free Method for Multiple Dictionary and Translation Lookups

I’ve set up simple downloadable html files for my top languages that allow me to look up everything I’d want to know about a new word I’ve come across all at once:

• The word’s definition the top 2-3 monolingual dictionaries in the target language
• Its translated definition in the top two target language-to-English dictionaries
• Examples of the word used in context alongside translations, to see how various translators of the word have rendered it; examples of the word used on Twitter (great for informal speech)
• Images of the word in Google Images in that language
• Funny images of the word (often related memes), also from Google Images (this can make the word much more memorable)

This is an expansion of a recommendation from Gabriel Wyner’s Fluent Forever (which I discussed further here) and his and readers’ pages (though this may now be abandoned?). I took the best ideas for how to structure multisearch and added and changed a bit, including what I consider to be the top dictionaries, Twitter, and other ways to understand a word.

You can likewise modify the html file with a text editor for other languages or to suit your preferences for searching other sites. The Spanish or French files may be the best to use for modifying for another language.

The Best Catalan-English Dictionaries: MultiSearch

This downloadable file will allow you to search all Catalan-English dictionaries in a single click (you can download and save it locally): Catalan-English Multi-Dictionary Lookup.

It sends your search term to open in new tabs (set your browser to accept automatically opening them). It searches:

• Optimot from the Generalitat de Catalunya’s official language service. Offers very complete definitions in Catalan.
• Diccionari.cat: The best available (though not great) English definitions of Catalan words.
• Google Translate from Catalan to English
• A Twitter search for the word
• The Catalan pronunciation on Forvo.com
• Google image searches for the Catalan word, and for funny photos or memes.

Catalan Wiktionary is not good enough to be useful, and there are no good context lookups (like Reverso or Linguee) for Catalan.

If you get stuck, sometimes Catalan-Spanish dictionaries (for example at Optimot and Diccionaris.cat) can get you a Spanish definition, which you can then in turn look up in the Spanish recommendations below.

Incidentally, on this site I’ve previously covered a number of the most important Catalan words not found in dictionaries, including those for speaking to inanimate Catalan objects, pooping in Catalan, and for wooing Catalan girls.

The Most Useful French-English Dictionaries for Learning French in Context: MultiSearch

Here’s the link for a one-click lookup of French-to-English terms: French-English Multi-Dictionary Search.

Type your Frenchy term and click search (and accept the warning to open multiple tabs, if necessary for your browser). It will open tabs with the following helpful guidance for a new French word:

• Larousse: A classic French monolingual dictionary, but with thankfully concise definitions that can work for French learners; good “did you mean…?” suggestions, so start here if you’re misspelling a word
• French Wiktionary: Can be a bit more up-to-date with modern and multiple definitions, especially of slang or new words.
• WordReference: Excellent French-English definitions, often with context sentences; the forum discussions of the word at the bottom of the page can be particularly useful
• English Wiktionary: For French terms, it generally offers simple, quality definitions, verb conjugations, audio, and links to related terms (such as adjective/noun/verb forms that are quite similar variants)
• Google Translate French to English: Often has multiple translation suggestions, but only in rare cases is it better than the options above; sometimes more useful for phrases
• Linguee French to English: A translator’s favorite that shows how official terms are translated by EU and other government and academic websites; gives a variety of examples in context side-by-side with English
• Reverso French to English: Also offers a variety of context examples with translations; often better than Linguee for real-world French use
• Twitter: Watch people fight about politics or whatever using your new vocabulary word
• Forvo: For pronunciations; for more common words you can hear them with a variety of French accents from around the world and choose the ones you want
• Google Images: For images and funny memes of the word (one tab for each)

The Top Italian Dictionaries: An All-In-One Search

You can save or click to search all of the following Italian dictionaries at once. Ensure that you accept it opening multiple tabs to get them all.

• Hoepli Grande Dizionario Italiano: The best monolingual Italian dictionary that is online, in my experience; good brief, uncomplicated definitions along with examples in context
• Italian Wiktionary: Not as good as the Hoepli in general at this point, but offers synonyms and antonyms as well as the basic definitions, which can be nice for Italian learners
• WordReference: Italian-English definitions along with examples and translations, and the often quite useful and necessary forum discussions at the bottom of the page
• English Wiktionary: Offers English definitions for Italian words and links to related words, gives the oh-so-complicated plural forms for nouns and the conjugations of Italian verbs
• Google Translate: Offers multiple translations in English for a term
• Linguee Italian to English: Examples of Italian words in context and how others have translated them, often in bureaucratic, educational, or business contexts
• Reverso: Like Linguee but often with more common, conversational, and popular examples
• Twitter: For seeing how the Italian masses converse with your term; often no matter what you search for you also, somehow, get pictures of food
• Forvo: Pronunciation by native Italian speakers from various regions
• Google Images: Tabs for both regular photos of the terms and funny memes

The Best Brazilian Portuguese-English Dictionaries: Search All at Once for Translations, Definitions, Memes

You can go click (or download and save the file) to search all of these dictionaries at once. I focused on the Brazilian variety of Portuguese, though some cover European Portuguese as well. (Here’s a quick guide to learning European if you already speak Brazilian Portuguese.)

• Dicio.com.br: Quality definitions, a list of synonyms, verb conjugations, and the plural forms of nouns; sometimes there are usage examples; verb conjugations
• Michaelis: My second-choice professional dictionary for Brazilian Portuguese
• Portuguese Wiktionary: Contains some good definitions and a good variety of usage examples and expressions
• WordReference: OK for Portuguese-English definitions although missing a lot of words; the forum at the bottom of the page is very useful for getting insight on usage, especially for Brazilian slang
• English Wiktionary: Definitions, sometimes more complete than WordReference; conjugations; related terms
• Google Translate: Offers synonyms and the best for translating phrases, but otherwise not so useful for single Portuguese terms
• Linguee: Both European and Brazilian pronunciations, and comparisons of mainly European business, government, and academic uses of your search term side-by-side with the English translation
• Reverso: Examples of our search term in more daily sorts of useage with English translations
• Twitter: See your Portuguese search term used in Twitter alongside curse words and political complaints
• Forvo: Pronunciations in European, Brazilian, and sometimes other world varieties of Portuguese
• Google Images: The rich world of memes in Portuguese

Serbian / Croatian / Bosnian Dictionary, Translation, and Images MultiSearch

There are not a lot of quality online dictionaries for these languages; some translators I know rely mainly on paper dictionaries still. Your suggestions are welcome if you know of better options, especially for Croatian and Bosnian, which are varieties that I do not focus on as much myself.

Here is the link for searching all of these at once (right click to download it if you prefer).

• Štaznači: Very annoying interface and poor definitions but unfortunately the best online Serbian-only dictionary right now; does offer synonyms, which can be useful for language learners
• English Wiktionary: By far the best English definitions for “Serbo-Croatian”, as the language is generally called there; offers case declensions and verb conjugations; links between imperfective and perfective forms of verbs at the bottom of the page; often there are usage examples
• Google Translate: Sometimes the only useful result for a Serbian / Bosnian / Croatian search comes here
• Tatoeba: Gives examples of how the search term has been translated into English with context
• Twitter: Your search term as used in context by real Bosnians, Croatians, and Serbians in the present moment
• Forvo: Pronunciations in Croatian, Serbian, and Bosnian, with likelihood of availability roughly in that order
• Google Images: Searches for both pictures of your word and funny memes of the word; in some cases it may be necessary to search for the English translation however

The Best Spanish Monolingual, Spanish-English, and Translation and Context Lookup in a Single Search

Here is the link to search all of these Spanish dictionaries at once, so you can get a full idea of any new word you learn in the language and how to use it.

• WordReference Spanish Monolingual: Definitions, conjugations, and a forum to discuss usage in Spanish only
• Spanish Wiktionary: Good definitions and better coverage of slang and regional expressions with links to Spanish Wikipedia where relevant
• WordReference Spanish-English: Its own dictionary plus Collins, with many (sometimes overwhelming) varieties of meanings and examples in use with translations; the invaluable but poorly organized forum with help on meaning and translation; conjugations by clicking on the little arrow next to the verb
• English Wiktionary: Basic definitions and conjugations
• Google Translate: Can be quite good for Spanish phrases and slang
• Linguee: Examples of terms translated from mainly European Spanish business, government, and educational contexts into English
• Reverso: Spanish words in the context of short sentences alongside their translations
• Twitter: Your term as the Spanish Twitterverse is using it at the moment
• Forvo: Pronunciations of Spanish words from a variety of countries and speakers
• Google Images: Pictures of the term as well as fun memes

I’m open to suggestions for improving these recommendations and search tools as well as additions of other languages. Drop your ideas in the comments or get in touch on this site’s contact form. Good luck, fellow learners.

How do I use OneLook’s thesaurus / reverse dictionary?

OneLook lets you find any kind of word for any kind of writing.
Like a traditional thesaurus, you
can use it to find synonyms and antonyms, but it’s far more flexible.
Describe what you’re looking for with a single word, a few words,
or even a whole sentence. Type in your description and hit
Enter (or select a word that shows up in the autocomplete preview)
to see the related words.
You can order, filter, and explore the
words that come back in a variety of creative ways.

Here’s a video which
goes over some of the basics.

What are some examples?

Exploring the results

Click on any result to see definitions and usage examples tailored to your search,
as well as links to follow-up searches and additional usage information when available.
OneLook knows about more than 2 million different
words and expressions covering every topic under the sun.
Try exploring a favorite topic for a while and you’ll be surprised
how much new stuff there is to learn!

Ordering the results

Your results will initially appear with the most closely related word shown first,
the second-most closely shown second, and so on.
You can re-order the results in a variety of different ways, including
alphabetically, by length, by popularity, by modernness, by formality, and by other
aspects of style. Click the
box that says «Closest meaning first…» to see them all.
(Here’s a short video about sorting and filtering
with OneLook Thesaurus.)

Filtering the results

You can refine your search by clicking on the «Advanced filters» button
on the results page. This lets you narrow down your results to match
a certain starting letter, number of letters, number of syllables, related
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Read more details on filters if you’re interested in how they work.

I’m only looking for synonyms! What’s with all of these weird results?

For some kinds of searches only the
first result or the first few results are truly synonyms
or good substitutions for your search word.
We highlight these results in yellow.
Beyond that, the results are meant to inspire you to consider similar words and adjacent
concepts. Not all of the results will make sense at first, but they’re all
connected with your search in some way. We’d rather give you too many options than
too few. If you’re unsure of a word, we urge you to click on
it to check its definitions and usage examples before using it in your Oscars
acceptance speech or honors thesis.

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Is this available in any language other than English?

The same interface is now available in Spanish at OneLook Tesauro
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Here are some known problems
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Much gratitude to Gultchin et al for the algorithm behind the «Most funny-sounding» sort order.

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