Merriam-Webster unveils 12th-edition Collegiate Dictionary with 5,000 new words
New edition adds petrichor, teraflop, dumbphone, ghost kitchen and more; weighs nearly five pounds as the publisher shifts to a broader digital culture while preserving print tradition.
NEW YORK — Merriam-Webster on Thursday unveiled the 12th edition of its Collegiate Dictionary, a full revision for the first time in 22 years. The edition adds more than 5,000 words and will be released Nov. 18, with preorders available now, as print-reference sales in the United States continue to soften, according to Circana BookScan.
Among the additions are petrichor, teraflop, dumbphone and ghost kitchen, along with cold brew, farm-to-table, rizz, dad bod, hard pass, adulting and cancel culture, plus beast mode, dashcam, doomscroll, WFH and side-eye. All of the new terms had already appeared on Merriam-Webster.com before making the print edition, and the update includes more than 20,000 usage examples. To make room for the new material, editors removed two sparsely populated biographical and geographical sections from the 11th edition.
The publisher described the refresh as a chance to broaden the dictionary’s utility and appeal. Greg Barlow, Merriam-Webster's president, said the goal was to make the Collegiate more useful, with a better design and a more rewarding browsing experience, while ensuring the content remains practical for research and aesthetically engaging. The edition weighs nearly five pounds and keeps the linen cover; the team faced a production wrinkle: the U.S. printer that had offered lettered thumb notches along page edges has closed, so the notches were moved to a production partner in India.
Circana BookScan data show dictionary sales in the 12 months ending in September fell by about 9% compared with the prior year, part of a broader decline in print reference materials. Merriam-Webster remains the country’s leading dictionary publisher, selling roughly 1.5 million dictionaries annually. Print sales account for a small portion of the company’s revenue, which has grown in recent years thanks to online dictionaries, a thesaurus, mobile apps and word games. Barlow emphasized that print remains important culturally and personally for some readers, even if it is not central to the company’s growth strategy.
Industry observers note that print dictionaries face a shifting landscape, with nostalgia helping drive sales at retailers like Barnes & Noble. Kat Sarfas, marketing manager for nonfiction at Barnes & Noble, said there is a pull to own a physical reference, alongside measurable increases in general dictionary sales and related materials such as the U.S. Constitution. Still, the broader trend is toward digital access, and some readers value the tactile experience of a bound book.
Scholarly voices also stress the enduring cultural role of print language tools. Lindsay Rose Russell, executive director of the Dictionary Society of North America, pointed out that a printed dictionary can signify the legitimacy of languages that have not been fully documented, a point echoed by other lexicographers who note that print references still matter in communities seeking linguistic visibility. The new Collegiate retains traditional features like lettered thumb notches, reflecting a continued interest in tangible reference materials, even as production shifts overseas due to domestic printer changes.
Beyond its physical heft, the 12th edition expands beyond word lists. It includes curated lists and expanded word histories, with attention to terms from the 1990s and deeper etymologies to illustrate how language evolves. The editors also maintain historically rooted features that appeal to dedicated dictionary enthusiasts, including a layout designed for browsing and a focus on contemporary usage that mirrors trends observed online. The combination aims to bridge the nostalgia of print with the practical, ever-expanding needs of today’s language landscape.
Merriam-Webster’s digital footprint remains a cornerstone of the company’s strategy. The publisher notes that its website receives about a billion visits per year, underscoring the explosion of online reference resources that has accompanied a broader shift to digital media. Over the past decade, the company has reported substantial revenue gains tied to its online dictionary, thesaurus, mobile apps and word games, even as print editions face ongoing challenges. While the print Collegiate is not the engine of the company’s growth, officials emphasize that it remains a cherished product for language lovers and a signal of the enduring cultural value of printed reference works.