The first purpose of any student's dictionary is to provide the basic information necessary to be able to understand a meaning, decipher a pronunciation, make a correct syllable break, and employ vocabulary appropriate to a particular situation. The Facts on File Student's Dictionary of American English is designed to provide such information as accurately, concisely, and clearly as possible. Its modest entry list of about 90,000 words includes the vocabulary most of us use every day in ordinary writing and encounter in reading a newspaper, novel, magazine, or online article. The dictionary also includes a selection of widely used new terms in English, from science and technology to contemporary American culture. The design is exceptionally user-friendly. Each entry of the standard vocabulary has been evaluated and revised according to current usage. Unlike other dictionaries--including collegiate--this dictionary features long entries that have been trimmed to their core meanings; shades of meanings are illustrated by phrases or sentences that follow a definition, rather than by different definitions entirely. The result is a reliable, easy-to-use guide to the English language.

Defines more than 2,400 terms and phrases related to computers, programming, data processing, and the Internet.

Provides information about meaning, pronunciation, syllable breaks, and appropriate usage for more than ninety thousand words, and gives shades of meaning illustrated by phrases or sentences for each word.

Clarifies and explains words and phrases spanning a range of fields, from law and music to philosophy and cuisine. This title contains entries that include pronunciations in American English, parts of speech and other relevant grammatical information, languages of origin, definitions, examples of use, and etymological backgrounds.

Lists the meaning and origin of more than 1,700 traditional and contemporary English proverbs.

Contains alphabetically arranged entries that describe major characters from significant American novels, arranged chronologically from 1789 through 1960.