Key Facts

• Merriam-Webster added 1,400 new words to its dictionary.
• New words include slang like "neckbeard" (a beard style and related culture) and "trash panda" (a nickname for raccoons).
• Food-related words such as "superfood," "bao," and "cake pop" were added.
• Social terms like "cuffing season," meaning the time when people look for romantic partners during colder months, are included.
• Some words describe cultural or internet phenomena, like "Rickroll" (a prank involving a song) and "Mandela effect" (a shared false memory).
• The dictionary includes uniquely American words such as "California sober," which refers to a specific pattern of drug and alcohol use.
• In 2025, "slop" was added with a new definition about low-quality digital content made by artificial intelligence.
• Merriam-Webster plans to announce a "word of the year" soon, highlighting notable new entries.