Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 31, 2019 is: shot-clog \SHAHT-klahg\ noun : a bore tolerated only because he or she pays the shot Examples: I'd planned to reimburse Jerry for the meal via PayPal, but after sitting through a lengthy evening of him holding forth on myriad topics, I decided it would be an unfair challenge to his reputation as a shot-clog . "Alas! I behold thee with pity, no...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 30, 2019 is: disbursement \diss-BERSS-munt\ noun : the act of paying out money especially from a fund : the act of disbursing ; also : funds paid out Examples: Stephanie receives a monthly disbursement from her parents' trust fund. "The bank expanded the reach of its digital disbursements product by teaming up with PayPal." — The Banker , 1 Oct. 2018 Did y...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 29, 2019 is: bread \BRED\ noun 1 : a usually baked and leavened food made of a mixture whose basic constituent is flour or meal 2 : food , sustenance 3 a : livelihood b slang : money Examples: His brother was running low on bread , so Michael lent him some money through PayPal to tide him over. "Once my mom started making some bread , we bought our first h...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 28, 2019 is: lacuna \luh-KOO-nuh\ noun 1 : a blank space or a missing part : gap ; also : deficiency 2 : a small cavity, pit, or discontinuity in an anatomical structure Examples: The osteocyte is a cell that is isolated in a lacuna of bone. "During her investigation, Charlie disguises herself as a man, but it's not entirely clear why the private detective...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 27, 2019 is: commemorate \kuh-MEM-uh-rayt\ verb 1 : to call to remembrance 2 : to mark by some ceremony or observation : observe 3 : to serve as a memorial of Examples: A plaque commemorates the battle that took place on this spot 200 years ago. "The conference will feature presentations by educators and World War II history experts, along with discussions...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 26, 2019 is: yen \YEN\ noun : a strong desire or propensity; also : urge , craving Examples: "Charlie Partin grew up in the Florida Panhandle, lived for 20 years in New Port Richey, leaving his mark as an architect and an artist, before following a yen to create sculptures in the rolling hills of southeast Nebraska." — Michele Miller, The Tampa Bay Times ,...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 25, 2019 is: disparage \dih-SPAIR-ij\ verb 1 : to depreciate by indirect means (such as invidious comparison) : to speak slightingly about 2 : to lower in rank or reputation : degrade Examples: "In the early 1990s the president of newly independent Estonia gave a speech in Hamburg. In it, he disparaged the Soviet occupation of the Baltic states. A little-k...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 24, 2019 is: apposite \AP-uh-zit\ adjective : highly pertinent or appropriate : apt Examples: Before sending the final draft of his novel to his editor, Lyle searched for an apposite quotation that could serve as the book's epigraph. "He brings to the story a modern intelligence, a modern interest, as well as much apposite historical information. And the r...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 23, 2019 is: scavenger \SKAV-un-jer\ noun 1 chiefly British : a person employed to remove dirt and refuse from streets 2 : one that scavenges : such as a : a garbage collector b : a junk collector c : a chemically active substance acting to make innocuous or remove an undesirable substance 3 : an organism that typically feeds on refuse or carrion Examples:...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 22, 2019 is: peer-to-peer \PEER-tuh-PEER\ adjective : relating to, using, or being a network by which computers operated by individuals can share information and resources directly without relying on a dedicated central server Examples: "PayPal announced a new mobile peer-to-peer (P2P) payment platform called PayPal.me, which will allow users to create a p...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 21, 2019 is: pungle \PUNG-gul\ verb 1 : to make a payment or contribution of (money) — usually used with up 2 : pay , contribute — usually used with up Examples: We all decided to pungle up for pizza. "In December 1849, Coffin formed Coffin & Co. and contracted with a New York builder for a … side-wheel steamer to ply the waters between Portland and Sa...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 20, 2019 is: remittance \rih-MIT-unss\ noun 1 a : a sum of money remitted b : an instrument by which money is remitted 2 : transmittal of money (as to a distant place) Examples: "PayPal has everything it needs to send money to friends or family or to pay bills, even across borders. Its acquisition of Xoom in 2015 gave it a strong position in digital remitt...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 19, 2019 is: coin of the realm \KOYN-uv-thuh-RELM\ noun phrase 1 : the legal money of a country 2 : something valued or used as if it were money in a particular sphere Examples: The coin of the realm changes from one country to the next, so travelers may turn to digital transactions through services like PayPal. "The 'game' is to see who ultimately will ru...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 18, 2019 is: tenacious \tuh-NAY-shus\ adjective 1 a : not easily pulled apart : cohesive b : tending to adhere or cling especially to another substance 2 : persistent in maintaining, adhering to, or seeking something valued or desired 3 : retentive Examples: Once Linda has decided on a course of action, she can be very tenacious when it comes to seeing it...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 17, 2019 is: palimpsest \PAL-imp-sest\ noun 1 : writing material (such as a parchment or tablet) used one or more times after earlier writing has been erased 2 : something having usually diverse layers or aspects apparent beneath the surface Examples: "Among those handwritten manuscripts are 130 that have additional secrets: They are palimpsests , document...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 16, 2019 is: countermand \KOUNT-er-mand\ verb 1 : to revoke (a command) by a contrary order 2 : to recall or order back by a superseding contrary order Examples: "Although the Special Counsel regulations may not permit the Acting Attorney General to countermand certain decisions made by the Special Counsel, the Special Counsel remains subject to the Acting...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 15, 2019 is: glitch \GLITCH\ noun 1 a : a usually minor malfunction; also : an unexpected defect, fault, flaw, or imperfection  b : a minor problem that causes a temporary setback : snag 2 : a false or spurious Examples: The festival had an excellent lineup of performers, and the few glitches with the sound system did not seriously detract from the ov...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 14, 2019 is: borne \BORN\ adjective : transported or transmitted by — used in combination Examples: "By 2050, half the world's population could be at risk of mosquito- borne diseases like dengue fever or the [ Zika virus , new research suggests." — Chelsea Harvey, Scientific American , 7 Mar. 2019 "Tacoma had a population of 36,006 by 1890, a boom of 3,179...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 13, 2019 is: regale \rih-GAIL\ verb 1 : to entertain sumptuously : to feast with delicacies 2 : to give pleasure or amusement to 3 : to feast oneself : feed Examples: "Mickelson regaled the 1,000 or so spectators at Monday's trophy ceremony on the 18th green by sharing how his late grandfather, Al Santos, was an original caddie here when Pebble Beach opene...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 12, 2019 is: darling \DAHR-ling\ noun 1 : a dearly loved person 2 : favorite Examples: The youngest of three children, he was always his parents' little darling . "Once reticent to share anything about herself with fans and the media, thinking it was cooler to be mysterious, the critical darling and dance world entrepreneur is now open and forthright…." —...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 11, 2019 is: incipient \in-SIP-ee-unt\ adjective : beginning to come into being or to become apparent Examples: "I read the motive as being dictated by the necessity of stifling an incipient scandal in order to protect the magic of the marketplace." — James Baldwin, The Evidence of Things Not Seen , 1985 "As investment in the industry grows, partnerships a...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 10, 2019 is: footle \FOO-tul\ verb 1 : to talk or act foolishly 2 : to waste time : trifle , fool Examples: "A very British invention…, the steam locomotive, derived as it was from [George] Stephenson's nippy Rocket machine on parallel tracks, and the experiments of a young boy called James Watt, who footled about with a spoon in the steam from his aunt's...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 9, 2019 is: stratagem \STRAT-uh-jum\ noun 1 a : an artifice or trick in war for deceiving and outwitting the enemy b : a cleverly contrived trick or scheme for gaining an end 2 : skill in ruses or trickery Examples: As a stratagem to get the kids to do their chores, Melissa persuaded them to have a race to see which child could finish first. "Perpetrators...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 8, 2019 is: muse \MYOOZ\ verb 1 : to become absorbed in thought; especially : to think about something carefully and thoroughly 2 archaic : wonder, marvel 3 : to think or say (something) in a thoughtful way Examples: "On Twitter and Instagram, he's been acting like a moody teenager, posting photos of himself staring at scenic natural landscapes and musing...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 7, 2019 is: links \LINKS\ plural noun 1 Scotland : sand hills especially along the seashore 2 : golf course; especially : a golf course on linksland Examples: "Now that spring is here, it means that it's once again time for golfers to hit the links." — Jonathan Saxon, The Herald (Dubois County, Indiana), 27 Mar. 2019 "A giant 9-foot alligator surprised gol...