PERRLA/Guides/MLA 9/Dictionary entry

How to Cite a Dictionary Entry in MLA 9

An MLA 9 Works Cited entry for a dictionary entry starts with the word you looked up, in quotation marks and title case, because dictionary entries rarely name an author. Then come the dictionary's title in italics, any editor and edition, the publisher (left out when it matches the dictionary's name), the date if there is one, and the URL or the page. An online entry that changes over time ends with Accessed and the date. The in-text citation is the word in quotation marks, plus the definition number if you quote one: ("Burnout," def. 2a).

The format

"Word." Title of Dictionary, edited by First Last, edition, Publisher, Year, www.url.com (or p. #). Accessed Day Mon. Year.

PERRLA MLA Experts ยท Updated October 30, 2026
Checked against the MLA Handbook, 9th edition. Every example is formatted by PERRLA's reference engine.

First, the easy way: PERRLA

Paste the entry's link into PERRLA's reference search. For Merriam-Webster and the APA Dictionary of Psychology, PERRLA fills in the word, the dictionary's name, the URL, and today's date as the access date. It also adds the dictionary's maker as a group author, which APA needs and MLA doesn't: in MLA, an organization that writes and publishes its own dictionary isn't listed as the author. For Merriam-Webster, delete the group author, and the entry starts with the word. For the APA Dictionary of Psychology, add American Psychological Association as the publisher as well: when the group author and the publisher match, PERRLA starts the entry with the word and keeps the publisher. Then type the entry's "Updated on" date, like 4/19/2018, in Publication Year.

Adding one by hand? Choose Reference Work, then Entry in a reference work, and pick Entry in a dictionary or thesaurus. Leave the author empty, or add the dictionary's editor as Editor for the entry. Then fill in the Entry Title, the Reference Work Name, the publisher, the Publication Year, and the Edition. For a print dictionary, add the entry's page in Page Number. For an online one, paste the URL and click Today on the Retrieval Date; PERRLA prints it as Accessed and the date. PERRLA handles the quotation marks, the italics, and the title case.

Quoting one definition? In the citation box, choose Other, type def. as the label, and type the definition number as the value.

Look up
Paste a Merriam-Webster link, get the reference

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/burnout

"Burnout." Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/burnout. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

Not using PERRLA yet? Here is how to build the same works cited entry by hand.

The parts of the works cited entry

1. The word

Start with the word or phrase you looked up, in quotation marks and title case, with a period inside the closing quotation mark.

"Burnout."

Don't start with Merriam-Webster or the American Psychological Association. When an organization writes and publishes its own dictionary, MLA names it once, as the publisher, or not at all when its name is the dictionary's name. Only a signed entry, which some specialized dictionaries have, starts with the writer's name, last name first.

If the dictionary gives the same word separate entries for different parts of speech, add the label of the one you used after a comma, in italics, the way the dictionary labels it: "Content, N."

2. Dictionary title

The dictionary is the container, so its title goes in italics and title case, followed by a comma. Use the title of the version you used: the website is Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, while the printed book is Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary.

Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary,

3. Editor and edition

Many medical and subject dictionaries are edited. After the title, write edited by and the editor's name, first name first, then the edition number, each followed by a comma.

edited by Jonathan Law, 8th ed.,

4. Publisher

Name the publisher next. Leave it out when it's essentially the dictionary's own name, as with Merriam-Webster and Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. MLA shortens University Press to UP.

American Psychological Association,

5. Date

Give the year of a print dictionary or a dated edition, followed by a comma.

2021,

If an online entry shows its own date, use it, written day, month, year. Each APA Dictionary of Psychology entry shows an "Updated on" date, so the compassion fatigue entry gets 19 Apr. 2018. Merriam-Webster.com doesn't date its definitions, so that entry has no date, and the access date at the end does the job.

6. URL or page

For an online entry, give the URL without https://. For a print dictionary, give p. and the entry's page, even though the entries are in alphabetical order. End with a period.

www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/burnout.

7. Access date

Online dictionaries can change an entry at any time, so add the day you looked the word up: Accessed, then the date written day, month, year, with a period. MLA makes this optional, but it tells your reader which version of the entry you saw.

Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

A print dictionary or a fixed edition doesn't need one.

Examples

A Merriam-Webster online entry, with a quoted definition

The Merriam-Webster.com entry for burnout, looked up on October 21, 2026. Merriam-Webster writes and publishes the dictionary, and its name is the dictionary's name, so it appears in neither the author nor the publisher spot. The citation points to the numbered definition that was quoted, since the entry has no page numbers.

  • In-text citation("Burnout," def. 2a)
  • Narrative citationThe Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary entry "Burnout" defines it as … (def. 2a).

An APA Dictionary of Psychology entry

The online APA Dictionary of Psychology entry for compassion fatigue, a term nursing and counseling students cite often. The American Psychological Association made the dictionary, so MLA lists it as the publisher, not the author. Each entry shows its own "Updated on" date, and this one says 04/19/2018, so that date goes in the entry. The access date is optional once the entry has a date.

  • In-text citation("Compassion Fatigue")
  • Narrative citationThe APA Dictionary of Psychology entry "Compassion Fatigue" describes it as …

An entry in an edited nursing dictionary

The entry for triage in A Dictionary of Nursing (8th ed.), edited by Jonathan Law and published by Oxford University Press in 2021, read online at Oxford Reference. The entry has no author, so it starts with the word, and the editor follows the dictionary's title. The edition is fixed, so there's no access date.

  • In-text citation("Triage")
  • Narrative citationThe entry "Triage" in A Dictionary of Nursing explains that …

In-text citations

A dictionary entry's in-text citation uses whatever starts the Works Cited entry. For most dictionaries, that's the word, in quotation marks and title case.

  • Parenthetical: ("Burnout")
  • A quoted definition: online entries have no page numbers, so name the definition with def. and its number, after a comma inside the quotation mark: Burnout can mean "exhaustion of physical or emotional strength or motivation usually as a result of prolonged stress or frustration" ("Burnout," def. 2a).
  • The word in your sentence: put the definition number alone in parentheses at the end: The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary entry "Burnout" defines it as … (def. 2a). With no definition number to give, leave the parentheses off.
  • The same word from two dictionaries: add the dictionary's title in square brackets: ("Burnout" [Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary])
  • A signed entry: the writer's last name, like any author.
  • A print dictionary: the page is in the Works Cited entry, so the definition number is the useful part in the text.

The access date never goes in the in-text citation.

Common mistakes

  • Merriam-Webster. "Burnout." Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary,"Burnout." Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary,MLA doesn't list an organization as the author of a dictionary it also publishes. The entry starts with the word.
  • (Merriam-Webster, n.d.)("Burnout")That's APA. MLA cites the first part of the entry, which is the word, and never adds n.d. or a year.
  • Burnout. Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary,"Burnout." Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary,The entry is part of a larger work, so the word goes in quotation marks, and the dictionary's title goes in italics.
  • ("Burnout," 2a)("Burnout," def. 2a)Label the number with def. so your reader knows it's a definition, not a page.
  • Accessed October 21, 2026.Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.MLA writes dates day, month, year, with the month abbreviated (except May, June, and July) and no commas.

Quick checklist

  • The word first, in quotation marks and title case
  • No author unless the entry is signed
  • Dictionary title in italics, then editor and edition
  • Publisher left out when it matches the dictionary's name
  • URL for online, or p. and the page for print
  • Accessed and the date for an online dictionary that changes
  • In the text: the word in quotation marks, plus def. # for a quote

Questions students ask

Do I need an access date for a dictionary entry in MLA?

It's optional in MLA, but add one for Merriam-Webster.com and other online dictionaries that change their entries without dating them. Write Accessed and the date at the very end: Accessed 21 Oct. 2026. A print dictionary or a fixed edition doesn't need one.

How do I cite a print dictionary in MLA?

Start with the word in quotation marks, then the dictionary's title in italics, the edition, the publisher, the year, and p. and the page the entry is on. Give the page even though the entries are alphabetical. In the text, cite the word, plus def. and a number if you quote a definition.

How do I quote a dictionary definition in MLA?

Put the definition in quotation marks and cite the word, a comma, def., and the definition number: ("Burnout," def. 2a). Many instructors discourage opening a paper with a dictionary definition, so use one when the exact meaning of the word really matters to your point.

Should I cite the dictionary or just the word I looked up?

Cite the entry: the single word you looked up. Cite the whole dictionary only when you're writing about the dictionary itself, such as comparing two dictionaries.

How do I cite a thesaurus entry in MLA?

The same way as a dictionary entry. Use the thesaurus's title as the container, such as Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, and the URL of the thesaurus page. In PERRLA, it's the same choice: Entry in a dictionary or thesaurus.

How do I cite a medical dictionary like Taber's in MLA?

Most medical dictionaries are edited, and their entries have no author. Start with the word in quotation marks, then the dictionary's title in italics, edited by and the editor's name, the edition, the publisher, and the year. Add the page for print, or the URL for online.

Rules checked against the MLA Handbook (9th ed.), chapters 5 and 6 (the core elements, containers, optional access dates, and in-text citations), and the MLA Style Center's answers on terms with numbered definitions (("Heavy," def. A.18)), page numbers for print dictionaries, distinguishing entries for the same term, entries in reference works, access dates, and shortened titles. Example sources: the Merriam-Webster burnout entry (definition 2a) checked in the Internet Archive's Sept. 30, 2026, copy, since the live site refuses automated requests; the compassion fatigue entry and its 04/19/2018 date checked through the APA dictionary's own data service on October 27, 2026; the nursing dictionary's editor, edition, publisher, and year checked in Crossref (DOI 10.1093/acref/9780198864646.001.0001) and on OUP's product page.

PERRLA builds the dictionary entry from its link, with the word in quotation marks and the access date in MLA order.

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