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Gas lamps illuminate St. Louis' Gaslight Square on April 2, 1962. "Gaslighting" — mind manipulating, grossly misleading, downright deceitful — is Merriam-Webster's word of 2022. JMH/AP hide caption

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JMH/AP

Culture

It's no trick; Merriam-Webster says 'gaslighting' is the word of the year

November 28, 2022 • Online searches for the word "gaslighting" on merriam-webster.com increased 1,740% in 2022 over the year before, leading the reference publishing company to name it the word of the year.

A Phrase For Our Time: Merriam-Webster Adds 'Dumpster Fire' To Dictionary

A dumpster fire. Renee Klahr/NPR hide caption

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Renee Klahr/NPR

The Two-Way

A Phrase For Our Time: Merriam-Webster Adds 'Dumpster Fire' To Dictionary

March 5, 2018 • Editor Peter Sokolowski predicts the phrase is here to stay. "It's been used so broadly in the last two to three years ... that people in the future will have to know what it meant."

From 'Bae' To 'Submarining,' The Lingo Of Online Dating

In the lingo of online dating, submarining begins when someone with whom you have romantic involvement ghosts — or disappears from your life without notice — only to resurface with no apology. Hanna Barczyk for NPR hide caption

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Hanna Barczyk for NPR

What Makes Us Click

From 'Bae' To 'Submarining,' The Lingo Of Online Dating

January 7, 2018 • The new ways to flirt, date and find love mean new lingo to describe the adventures — or misadventures — of online dating. Here are some of the words and terms in the lexicon.

From Seussian To Snollygoster, Merriam-Webster Adds Over 1,000 New Words

Marian Carrasquero/NPR

The Two-Way

From Seussian To Snollygoster, Merriam-Webster Adds Over 1,000 New Words

February 8, 2017 • Among the words and phrases added to Merriam-Webster's dictionary are "side-eye," "face-palm" and "Seussian" — as well as the decidedly Seussian "snollygoster," which has been enjoying a revival.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary Has Been Trolling Trump On Twitter For Months

Merriam-Webster's Twitter account weighs in on trending words and phrases and has waded into linguistic matters in politics, including a big campaign question: Did Donald Trump say "bigly" or "big league"? Marian Carrasquero/NPR hide caption

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Marian Carrasquero/NPR

All Tech Considered

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary Has Been Trolling Trump On Twitter For Months

January 26, 2017 • Throughout the presidential campaign, the linguistic institution developed its funny style of delicately poking at Donald Trump and his associates on Twitter.