How do I reference an online dictionary using APA (7th ed.)?
Answer
In-text:
Merriam-Webster (n.d.) describe...
OR
...(Merriam-Webster, n.d.).
In your reference list:
Group Author. (Year). Word defined. In Title. Publisher. Retrieved Month Day, Year, from URL
Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Semantics. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved September 6, 2021, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/semantics
Because entries in the Merriam-Webster's Dictionary are updated over time and not archived, include a retrieval date in the reference.
When the author and publisher are the same, omit the name of the publisher to avoid repetition.
Referencing multiple entries, with the same authors but no date
If the authors are the same, but the items don’t have a date, you need to write n.d. for no date, and add the lowercase letters as before, but this time you also need a hyphen before the letter e.g. (n.d.-a).
In the reference list
These appear alphabetically by title
Merriam-Webster. (n.d.-a). Reflective. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved September 6, 2021, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reflective
Merriam-Webster. (n.d.-b). Semantics. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved September 6, 2021, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/semantics
In text:
Merriam-Webster (n.d.-a)...
OR
...(Merriam-Webster, n.d.-a).