In MLA style, you cite a definition by crediting the source in the sentence where you use it and listing that source on your Works Cited page.
A definition looks small on the page, so it’s easy to treat it like it doesn’t count. It does. If the wording or the idea came from a source, your reader deserves a clear pointer back to it.
When You Need To Cite A Definition
You need a citation when you borrow a definition from a dictionary, encyclopedia, textbook, glossary, handout, or website. Even if the definition is one short line, it’s still borrowed language or a borrowed idea.
You usually don’t need to cite a plain meaning of a common word used in an everyday sense. Once you use a technical meaning or a field-specific meaning, cite it.
Picking A Definition Source That Fits Your Paper
Start by matching the source to the assignment. A general dictionary works for many language and literature papers. A lab report or research paper may need a definition from a textbook, a published reference work, or an agency document that sets a formal meaning.
Pick a source with details you can record: a clear title, a publisher, and a date when available. If the page is messy or unclear about who runs it, move on.
Definition Sources You’ll See Most Often
Definitions show up in more places than people expect. A dictionary is common, but it’s not the only option. Use the source that truly supplied the definition you’re using.
- Online dictionary entry (a web entry for a word or term)
- Print dictionary entry (a book entry with a page number)
- Online encyclopedia entry (a web reference entry that explains a term)
- Print encyclopedia entry (a volume entry with editors and page range)
- Glossary in a book (a glossary section at the back of a textbook)
- Chapter definition in a textbook (a definition inside the chapter text)
- Course handout or PDF (a class file that defines a term)
- Organization or agency definition (a standard or document that defines a term)
Grab the citation details while the source is open, then you won’t have to hunt for them later.
| Definition Source | Details To Capture | Works Cited Entry Starts With |
|---|---|---|
| Online dictionary entry | Entry title, dictionary title, publisher, date (if shown), URL | “Entry Title.” |
| Print dictionary entry | Entry title, dictionary title, edition, publisher, year, page | “Entry Title.” |
| Online encyclopedia entry | Entry title, site title, author (if listed), publisher, date, URL | Author or “Entry Title.” |
| Print encyclopedia entry | Entry title, encyclopedia title, editor(s), edition, volume, year, pages | Author or “Entry Title.” |
| Glossary in a book | Book title, author/editor, edition, publisher, year, glossary page | Author or editor |
| Textbook chapter definition | Author, chapter title, book title, edition, year, page | Author |
| Course handout or PDF | Creator, handout title, course or site title, institution, date, URL or platform name | Creator |
| Agency or standards definition | Organization name, document title, section or page, date, URL | Organization |
| Database reference entry | Entry title, reference work title, database name, date, stable link | “Entry Title.” |
Citing A Definition In MLA In Text
MLA in-text citations usually use the author’s last name and a page number. Definitions often come from sources with no author and no page numbers, so your citation may point to the entry title instead.
Start by deciding if you’re quoting the definition or paraphrasing it. Quoting uses the source’s exact words inside quotation marks. Paraphrasing uses your own wording, but it still needs a citation because the idea came from the source.
Quoting A Definition
Quote a definition when the wording matters, like when your paper turns on the meaning of a term. Keep the quoted words exact, and place the parenthetical citation before the period at the end of the sentence.
Sample (entry title used in the citation):“Metaphor” is “a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action that isn’t actually applicable” (“Metaphor”).
If you’re quoting from a print source with page numbers, use the author-page style your instructor expects.
Sample (author and page):A hypothesis is “a tentative explanation that can be tested” (Smith 42).
Paraphrasing A Definition
Paraphrasing is common in school writing because it keeps your voice steady. The clean way to do it is to read the definition, step away from it, then write the meaning as you’d explain it to a classmate.
Sample (paraphrase with entry title):A metaphor compares unlike things by treating one thing as if it were another (“Metaphor”).
If a short paraphrase passage comes from one definition source, one citation at the end of that passage is usually enough. When you switch to your own analysis, stop the citation.
Using A Signal Phrase
A signal phrase lets you name the source in the sentence, so the parentheses feel lighter. It’s also handy when you want the paper to read smoothly.
Sample (signal phrase plus entry title):Merriam-Webster defines a metaphor as a comparison that treats one thing as another (“Metaphor”).
Sample (author named in the sentence):Smith frames a hypothesis as a starting claim that research can test (42).
Citing Definitions In MLA Style When A Dictionary Lists Many Meanings
Many dictionaries list numbered meanings for the same word. If you use one numbered sense, record that number so your reader can find it fast.
For the entry-title pattern with numbered meanings, see the MLA Style Center guidance on numbered dictionary definitions.
If you cite two different dictionaries for the same headword, your in-text citations can start to look identical. In that case, add a short dictionary label in brackets after the entry title in the parenthetical citation. That small tag keeps the sources distinct.
Building The Works Cited Entry For A Definition Source
MLA Works Cited entries follow a repeatable order built from “core elements.” You use what your source provides, skip what it doesn’t, and keep the sequence. The MLA Style Center Works Cited quick guide shows the core elements and the order they go in.
Your in-text citation should match the first element of the Works Cited entry, since that’s how the reader finds it fast.
Dictionary Entry Templates
Online Works Cited template:“Entry Title.” Dictionary Name, Publisher, Day Month Year, URL.
Print Works Cited template:“Entry Title.” Dictionary Name, Edition, Publisher, Year, p. Page.
In text, cite the author and page when you have them. If the entry title is first in Works Cited, cite the entry title in quotation marks.
Online Encyclopedia Entry Template
Works Cited template with author:Author Last Name, First Name. “Entry Title.” Encyclopedia Name, Publisher, Day Month Year, URL.
If no author is listed, start the Works Cited entry with the entry title.
Glossary Definition In A Book
When the definition comes from a glossary in a book, your Works Cited entry is for the book, not for the single glossary term. Your in-text citation uses the page where the glossary term appears.
Works Cited template:Author Last Name, First Name. Book Title. Edition, Publisher, Year.
Definition From A Course Handout Or PDF
Course files don’t always look like “published” sources, but you can still cite what you have: creator, title, institution, date, and where you accessed it. If there’s no public URL, cite the platform name your class uses.
Works Cited template:Creator Last Name, First Name. “Handout Title.” Course or Site Title, Institution, Day Month Year, URL or Platform Name.
Snags That Show Up In Real MLA Definition Citations
Definitions tend to bring the same headaches again and again: no author, no page, no date, or a definition that changes online. The fix is rarely fancy. It’s usually just choosing the right first element and keeping your in-text citation aligned with it.
No Author Listed
Dictionaries and many reference entries don’t list an author. Don’t invent one. Start the Works Cited entry with the entry title, and use that entry title in your in-text citation.
No Page Numbers
Web sources usually don’t have stable page numbers. In MLA, you can omit the page number in the in-text citation. If you must guide your reader to a specific meaning, use a definition number or a labeled section the source provides.
Using More Than One Definition For The Same Term
Sometimes you need a general definition and a technical one, side by side. Keep them separate. Use one citation per definition, and don’t blur two sources into one sentence. This is where the writing stays clean and your reader stays oriented.
| Situation | What To Do | Where It Appears |
|---|---|---|
| No author on the entry | Begin the Works Cited entry with the entry title | Works Cited first element |
| No page numbers | Leave out the page number in the in-text citation | In-text citation |
| Many numbered meanings | Record the sense number and keep it tied to the term | Your wording or citation style your instructor requests |
| Two dictionaries for one headword | Add a short dictionary label in brackets after the entry title | In-text citation |
| No date shown online | Skip the date; add an access date if your instructor asks for it | End of Works Cited entry |
| Definition in a book glossary | Cite the book; point to the glossary page in text | Works Cited entry and in-text page |
| Definition from a class PDF | Cite the file with creator, title, institution, date, and location | Works Cited entry |
| Long URL with tracking | Use the cleanest URL or stable link the site provides | Works Cited URL element |
A Worked Citation You Can Copy And Adapt
This run-through is a repeatable pattern you can use on any term.
- Pick the meaning that fits your paper. If the entry lists several meanings, choose the one you’re using.
- Write the sentence. Add the definition as a quote or paraphrase, then attach the in-text citation.
- Finish Works Cited. Record the entry title, container title, publisher, date, and URL, then format them in MLA order.
Sample sentence (paraphrase):Once you get used to citing a definition in mla, your reader can track the source of a term without breaking your flow (“Metaphor”).
Matching Works Cited template:“Metaphor.” Dictionary Name, Publisher, Day Month Year, URL.
Checklist Before You Turn In Your Paper
- Your definition appears in your sentence with an in-text citation right there.
- Your in-text citation matches the first element of the Works Cited entry.
- Entry titles are in quotation marks, and container titles are italicized.
- Your Works Cited entry includes the clean URL for online definition sources.
- You recorded a date when the page shows one, and you added an access date only if your instructor requests it.
When your citations line up like this, the whole page looks calm and consistent. And when you’re citing a definition in mla, that consistency is what keeps your reader from getting lost.