Dictionary or Thesaurus?

Dictionary or Thesaurus?


What's the difference between a dictionary and a thesaurus? When do we use a dictionary and when do we use a thesaurus?

Dictionary

A dictionary tells you what a word means. It gives you a "definition" for each word. When you want to know what a word means, you look in a dictionary. A dictionary lists definitions or meanings.

Thesaurus

A thesaurus gives you words that mean the same as, or nearly the same as, another word. When you can't find the exact word you want, you look in a thesaurus.

A thesaurus lists synonyms and similar words.

The plural of "thesaurus" is "thesauri" or "thesauruses