English Dictionary: Definitions & Examples (Bulk)

Look up definitions for any list of English words in bulk: part of speech, one or more plain-text definitions per sense, and example sentences where Wiktionary has them. Uses the free, official Wiktionary REST API (Wikimedia) - no API key needed.

What does English Dictionary do?

Bulk English word lookups: part of speech, plain-text definitions and example sentences via Wiktionary.

What can you use it for?

• Check spelling and meaning while building a vocabulary list or glossary.
• Enrich a word list with part of speech and a definition for an app or dataset.
• Look up unfamiliar words found while processing text or transcripts.
• Build flashcard or study-app content in bulk.

Why use this Actor?

• Fast and cheap: lightweight HTTP-based Actor with no browser, so runs finish in seconds and cost very little.
• No API keys or accounts needed for the data source (see notes below).
• Clean, structured JSON that you can export as CSV, Excel, JSON or XML, or pull through the Apify API and integrations.
• Scheduling, webhooks and integrations: run it daily and send results to Google Sheets, Slack, Zapier, Make, n8n or your own API.

Input

Configure the run in the Input tab (all fields have sensible defaults).

Field	Type	Required	Default	Description
words	array of strings	yes	-	English words to look up.
maxDefinitionsPerWord	integer	no	5	Safety limit on how many definitions are kept for each part of speech.
maxExamplesPerDefinition	integer	no	2	Safety limit on how many example sentences are kept per definition.

Example input

{
  "words": [
    "ubiquitous",
    "serendipity",
    "run"
  ]
}

Output

Results are stored in the default dataset. Download them from the Output tab or via the API.

Example result

{
  "word": "ubiquitous",
  "found": true,
  "partOfSpeech": [
    "Adjective"
  ],
  "definitionCount": 3,
  "firstDefinition": "Being everywhere at once: omnipresent.",
  "definitions": [
    {
      "partOfSpeech": "Adjective",
      "definition": "Being everywhere at once: omnipresent.",
      "examples": [
        "In Christianity, Hinduism, and Judaism, God is ubiquitous."
      ]
    },
    {
      "partOfSpeech": "Adjective",
      "definition": "Appearing to be everywhere at once; being or seeming to be in more than one location at the same time.",
      "examples": []
    },
    {
      "partOfSpeech": "Adjective",
      "definition": "Widespread; very prevalent.",
      "examples": []
    }
  ],
  "sourceUrl": "https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ubiquitous#English",
  "fetchedAt": "2026-09-23T02:27:21.939Z"
}

Output fields

Field	Type	Example
word	string	"ubiquitous"
found	boolean	true
partOfSpeech	array	["Adjective"]
definitionCount	number	3
firstDefinition	string	"Being everywhere at once: omnipresent."
definitions	array	[{"partOfSpeech":"Adjective","definition":"Being everywhe...
sourceUrl	string	"https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ubiquitous#English"
fetchedAt	string	"2026-09-23T02:27:21.939Z"

How much does it cost?

The Actor is billed by Apify according to the pricing shown on the Pricing tab of this page. Runs are small and fast, and the Apify Free plan includes monthly platform credits so you can try it at no cost. You can set a maximum cost per run, and the Actor stops cleanly when that limit is reached.

Notes and limitations

• Uses the free, official Wiktionary REST API (Wikimedia) - the same reliable infrastructure as Wikipedia.
• Only English-language entries are returned (a word that is also, say, a French word will show only its English sense). Definitions come as plain text with HTML markup stripped.
• Not every word has example sentences; firstDefinition is always the clearest single-line summary.

Tips

• Start with a small test run, then scale up the input.
• Use Schedules to automate recurring runs and Webhooks or Integrations to deliver the data where you need it.
• Call the Actor from your code with the Apify API or the official JavaScript and Python clients.

FAQ

Does it work for phrases or slang?

Only if the phrase has its own Wiktionary entry. Very new slang or multi-word phrases may return found: false.

Why do some words have several partOfSpeech entries?

Many English words serve more than one grammatical role (e.g. "run" as both a verb and a noun) - each is listed separately.

Feedback

Found a bug or need an extra field? Open an issue from the Issues tab of this Actor and it will be looked at quickly.

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