14 DAY TRIAL // Google is continuing its culling of no longer needed projects, the latest to get the axe is Google Dictionary. Google Search already incorporates all of the functionality and the data from Dictionary so Google shut down the dedicated tool.
The people that actually used it though, not that many, aren't very pleased with the move.
Still, this looks like one of Google's least harmful move of this sort to date, since users can get much of the same information from the search engine with only a few extra steps.
"As many of you know, we've recently introduced a dictionary tool into Google Web Search to help you quickly look up the definition of a word," Google responded to the number of people wondering what happened to the tool.
"Because the dictionary tool offers the same functionality as Google Dictionary, we've decided to discontinue dictionary.google.com," Google said.
Google Dictionary offered a central place to search for definitions as well as words in other languages.
But, while Google has dropped the website, the individual definition data is still available as long as you know how to search for it on Google.
"For your definition needs, you can type your query right into the search box and use the dictionary tool located in the left-hand panel on the results page, or you can type [define (your word)] right into the search box,"
Starting any query with the word "define" is guaranteed to bring up the Dictionary OneBox. To make sure you can also use "define:yourquery" for the same result.
Click on the "More" link and you will see the dedicated dictionary page, with Google's definitions as well as more definitions from the web and the possibility of translating the word into any language supported by Google Translate.