Did you know?

Click any word in a definition or example to find the entry for that word

Pronunciation of 

smart alec

view main entry for smart alecnoun [countable] informal  /ˈsmɑː(r)t ˌælɪk/ 
Previous and next
British English pronunciation: smart alecClick to listen to the pronunciation of smart alec

charticle

a news article that consists of a chart … and only has a small amount of text

BuzzWord Article

Word of the Day

electron

a part of an atom that moves around the nucleus (=centre) and has a negative electrical charge

Open Dictionary

never event

an event that should never occur in a healthcare setting …

add a word

Blog

A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.

global English and language change from our blog