On this page
Updated . Example details checked against merriam-webster.com/dictionary/culture (also the APA Style example for a dictionary entry).
The Chicago format
Pattern
Name of Dictionary, s.v. “word,” accessed Month Day, Year, URL.
- s.v. (sub verbo, “under the word”) introduces the headword, in quotation marks and in lowercase unless the word itself is capitalized.
- Notes only: major dictionaries and encyclopedias are cited in notes and not listed in the bibliography.
- Access date because online entries are revised without a date.
- Print dictionaries that everyone knows need only the edition: Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th ed., s.v. “culture.”
A real example
Footnote (no bibliography entry)
Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, s.v. “culture,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/culture.
When details are missing
- A specialist dictionary with a named author or editor: cite it like a book, in notes and the bibliography, with the entry title in quotation marks.
- Later notes: a shortened note gives the dictionary and the word: Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, s.v. “culture.”
The rules for a missing author, date or page in every style are in no author, date or page.
Common mistakes
- A bibliography entry for Merriam-Webster. General dictionaries stay in the notes.
- A page number for an online entry. There is none; s.v. tells readers where to look.
- Capitalizing the headword. Write it as the dictionary does, usually lowercase.
Or let Format do it.
Choose Encyclopedia or dictionary entry and fill in the word, the dictionary, the link and the day you looked it up. Format writes the notes in Chicago, exactly as shown above, and builds the bibliography page when you export to Word or PDF. Chicago is part of Pro, $4 a month or $29 a year; MLA and APA are free.
Questions
What does s.v. mean?
Sub verbo, Latin for “under the word.” It replaces a page number for alphabetized reference works.
Do I need the publisher?
No, for a well-known dictionary. The name of the dictionary is enough.
More citation guides
The same source in other styles
Similar sources in Chicago
Every source kind is on the Chicago page, and every style is on How to cite.