The words Oxford Dictionary have long stood for ultimate authority in the English language. Now students and general readers can get the some thoroughness, precision, and certainty in the long-awaited OXFORD AMERICAN DICTIONARY, the first modern paperbound dictionary to lay down the law on correct grammar Hundreds of notes on usage clarify grammatical points and words that are easily confused: Should you use chairperson or chairwoman? Is disinterested an acceptable way of expressing lack of interest? Is it correct to say the media is doing anything? Can one catch a movie? The OXFORD AMERICAN DICTIONARY is completely up-to-date and establishes a firm standard for all lovers of our language.

While the dictionary follows the Oxford style and linguistic criteria, the editorial staff is headed by three eminent American lexicographers: Stuart Berg Flexner, noted for his work on American slang; Eugene Ehrlich of Columbia University, author of several books on American usage; and Gorton Carruth, former Editor-in-Chief of Funk and Wagnalls. Joyce Hawkins, who reviewed the material for the Oxford Dictionary Department, has been described in newspapers throughout the world as "the lady lexicographer who has declared a one-woman war on sloppy English."