word of the year shortlist

A year of ‘permacrisis’

The 2020s have certainly seen their fair share of upheaval – and we’re only two years in! Already this decade we’ve had to contend with a pandemic and its aftermath, a brutal new war in Europe, and in the UK an economic crisis that saw the Bank of England warning… Read More

The year of lockdown

It’s no surprise that quite a few of the words on Collins Word of the Year 2020 shortlist have one big thing in common: the pandemic. Something that changed everyone’s lives so profoundly – leaving no country or continent untouched – was bound to have a… Read More

Collins Word of the Year 2019 shortlist

Climate strike has been announced as the Collins Word of the Year 2019. climate strike (ˈklaɪmɪt ˌstraɪk) noun: a form of protest in which people absent themselves from education or work in order to join demonstrations demanding action to counter climate change Discover the rest of the words… Read More

These are strange, anxiety-inducing times – but there are reasons to be cheerful

These are strange, anxiety-inducing times – but there are reasons to be cheerful. That’s what the English language seems to be telling us in 2019. Having trawled websites, newspapers, magazines, social media, and everyday conversations, Collins’ lexicographers have detected an uptick in words linked to both environmental and digital derangement… Read More

Collins 2018 Word of the Year Shortlist

Single-use has been announced as the Collins Word of the Year 2018. Discover the rest of the words in this year’s shortlist. Single-use Adjective: made to be used once only Backstop Noun: a system that will come into effect if no other arrangement is made… Read More

Collins 2017 Word of the Year Shortlist

Fake news has been announced as the Collins Word of the Year 2017. Discover the rest of the words in this year’s shortlist. Fake news noun: false, often sensational, information disseminated under the guise of news reporting Antifa noun: (1) a antifascist organization (2) a… Read More

The year that was…Lucy Mangan looks at the Collins Word of the Year shortlist

Cometh the publication of the 12th edition of the Collins English Dictionary (and I hope you’re all having fun with it, by the way. My favourite discovery so far is “centonate” – having many pieces or patches. I intend to use it instead of “portfolio” – a word… Read More

CollinsDictionary.com ‘Word of the Year’ – the changing face of words

Collins has chosen a shortlist of emerging words submitted by its users this year, including ‘twerking’ and ‘phablet’, to capture the essence of 2013, but decided to appoint the established word ‘geek’ as its ‘Word of the Year’ following overwhelming public support in September 2013 to change the main definition… Read More

Our 12 words of 2012

Earlier this year, CollinsDictionary.com opened its doors to new word submissions. Your response has been totes amazeballs and fandabidozi. To date we have taken almost 7,400 new word submissions, each and every one a celebration of our ever changing language and the trends and events that inspire… Read More