Urban Dictionary Definitions Scraper

Scrape public Urban Dictionary definitions for slang research, content analysis, moderation workflows, and trend discovery.

Extracted fields

Each dataset item contains the definition ID, term, definition text, example, author, published date, displayed upvotes and downvotes, source URL, and scrape timestamp. One dataset item is one definition card.

Input

Provide terms, startUrls, or both. Terms are converted to Urban Dictionary define.php?term= pages. URLs must be public Urban Dictionary definition pages. maxDefinitionsPerTerm defaults to 10 and is capped at 50; the combined source limit is 25.

{
  "terms": ["yeet", "spill the tea"],
  "maxDefinitionsPerTerm": 5
}

Output example

{
  "definitionId": "12345678",
  "term": "yeet",
  "definition": "To throw something with force.",
  "example": "He yeeted the ball across the yard.",
  "author": "example_user",
  "publishedAt": "January 1, 2024",
  "upvotes": 42,
  "downvotes": 3,
  "sourceUrl": "https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=yeet",
  "scrapedAt": "2026-08-21T12:00:00.000Z"
}

Pricing and limitations

Event	Price
Actor start	$0.00005
Scraped definition	$0.0005

The actor uses direct public HTML requests and does not bypass login walls, CAPTCHAs, robots rules, or other access controls. If Urban Dictionary returns an access challenge, the run records the warning in SUMMARY, returns no fabricated records, and does not charge result events for failed pages. Definitions and vote counts can change on the source site; this actor reports the values visible at scrape time.

Use the data in accordance with Urban Dictionary's terms, copyright rules, and applicable law. Do not use it to target individuals or infer sensitive personal characteristics.

Use cases

• Schedule repeatable collection and export results to downstream workflows.
• Run a one-off research job and export the structured result as JSON, CSV, Excel, XML, or RSS from Apify.
• Schedule the same input to monitor changes over time and send completed datasets to a webhook or integration.
• Feed schema-shaped records into a database, spreadsheet, BI tool, or AI workflow with the source URL retained for verification.

Run Urban Dictionary Definitions Scraper with the Apify API

import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

const client = new ApifyClient({ token: process.env.APIFY_TOKEN });
const run = await client.actor('muhammadafzal/urban-dictionary-definitions-scraper').call({
  "terms": [
    "yeet"
  ],
  "startUrls": [],
  "maxDefinitionsPerTerm": 10,
  "requestTimeoutSeconds": 30
});
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
console.log(items);

You can also run the Actor from Apify Console, schedules, webhooks, the REST API, Make, Zapier, n8n, or the hosted Apify MCP server.

Responsible use

Use this Actor only for data you are authorized to access. Follow the target website's terms, robots and access policies, and applicable privacy, database, copyright, anti-spam, and data-protection laws. Do not use it to bypass authentication or other access controls, collect private data, harass people, or make high-impact decisions without independent verification.

Support

When reporting a problem, include the Actor run ID, a redacted input, the expected result, and a small public example URL when applicable. Do not post API tokens, cookies, credentials, or personal data in an issue.

Frequently asked questions

Can I schedule Urban Dictionary Definitions Scraper?

Yes. Use an Apify schedule to run the same saved input at a chosen interval, then connect a webhook or integration to process the dataset when the run finishes.

How should I test a new input?

Begin with the prefilled example or a small limit. Confirm that the output fields, source coverage, runtime, and live charges match your workflow before increasing the scope.

How do I export the results?

Open the run's default dataset in Apify Console and export JSON, CSV, Excel, XML, or RSS. Applications can retrieve the same records through the Apify API client or REST dataset endpoint.

Can an AI agent call this Actor?

Yes. Add muhammadafzal/urban-dictionary-definitions-scraper through the hosted Apify MCP server or call it through the API. The Actor's input and dataset schemas help agents construct valid requests and interpret returned records.

Recommended workflow

1. Define the smallest useful scope. Choose a representative public URL, query, identifier, or filter and keep the first result limit low.
2. Run and inspect. Check the run log, dataset item count, field coverage, source URLs, and live event or usage charges.
3. Validate downstream assumptions. Confirm nullable fields, deduplication keys, timestamps, and any locale-specific formats before importing records into another system.
4. Scale gradually. Increase limits or scheduling frequency only after the small run behaves as expected. Use Apify's maximum-cost and timeout controls to bound large jobs.
5. Monitor changes. Keep a small known-good input as a canary. If the source layout or API changes, compare the new dataset with a previously validated run and report the run ID when requesting support.

For recurring workflows, store the exact Actor input with your pipeline configuration. This makes runs reproducible and helps distinguish a source-data change from an input change.