15 ridiculous new terms that might make the dictionary

Centuries old Collins Dictionary is adding words submitted by the public to its online database. They include ‘legbomb,’ ‘Tebowing,’ ‘mantyhose,’ ‘amazeballs,’ and more.

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And by you, I mean anyone who speaks English.

Wait, it’s not as bad as it sounds.

Collins Dictionary, an imprint of HarperCollins UK, this morning unveiled a crowdsourcing initiative in which the public is invited to submit words for potential inclusion on CollinsDictionary.com.

“It was essential that we keep our ear close to the ground listening out for new words emerging from pop culture, science, and technology,” Alex Brown, head of digital at Collins, said in a press release. “Most dictionaries are static. By allowing the public to truly participate, we’re ensuring that we stay on top of the evolving English language.”

The editors will evaluate the user submissions just as they would any other coinage under consideration, said Brown, who spoke with our sister site PR Daily.com via phone. The process includes checking a word’s frequency of use, number of sources, and staying power in Collins’ database of about 4.5 billion words.

“We already have our system for logging new words,” Brown said. “The idea was wouldn’t it be interesting to open up the whole previously closed process.”

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