There are new words being born every day, mostly to do with COVID-19 and the many changes this is bringing to our daily lives and

Welcome to our new words blog where we cover new and trending words and consider their worthiness for inclusion in the Macquarie Dictionary.  This month,

Every so often a new piece of slang gains momentum in our culture. Thanks to a recent popular song, smoko became one such piece of slang propelled from hazy beginnings into the spotlight…  

Every year on April 25th, Australians pause to commemorate Anzac Day and all those who served their country in armed conflict…

Did you know you can see Madonna’s bra from office buildings in Sydney? You can even drive under it! Madonna’s bra is a cheeky nickname

Picture this. You’re waiting patiently at the traffic lights when your local hoon pulls out across the intersection with a screech of tires and a puff

The Macquarie Dictionary is constantly being reviewed and updated to make sure the words and definitions being offered are the most relevant possible. We appreciate

Then and than are commonly confused and it’s no wonder why – they sound very similar, are spelt very similarly and both come from the

Three of the most commonly confused words are there, their and they’re – and it’s no wonder because they all sound exactly the same when

There are some timely and topical words running through our selection of new words this month.  Three words, bothsidesism, infodemic and zombie fact have links

Last year, we published the second edition of the Macquarie Atlas of Indigenous Australia. We are honoured that this book has made the longlist for

Sirens blaring in the distance. Here come the zambucks! An old slang term for a St John’s ambulance officer, the term zambuck originated in the 1910s.

We have previously explored the influence of Irish words and slang on Australian English. In honour of St Patrick’s Day, we are exploring some other Irish-related

Lost the car keys? Dropped your lunch? Missed your bus by seconds? You might be said to be on a bad trot. This Aussie slang

The word many is generally used as an adjective to describe something that constitutes a large number, or when something is relatively numerous. The reference

The clock ticks slowly towards lunchtime. Your stomach rumbles, you can’t wait to get stuck into last night’s leftovers, but your workload seems to be

Australia is home to hundreds of bird species. Their squawks, squeaks and cries fill our landscapes. Introduced to Australia in the 1860s, the Indian myna

In the dictionary, we have entries for many iterations of the acronym that represents the diverse range of the rainbow community. The acronym started as