Every day, Americans from all around the country use Dictionary.com to look up words. One of the things that the lookup data shows is which words were looked up most by residents of each of the 50 states (and Washington, D.C.). As you might expect, many of these most-looked-up words are the same from place to place. (Spelling accommodate is hard no matter where you live.)
But the data also reveal which term each state’s residents looked up more than any other state. We’ve compiled those terms for the month of May 2023. Some are seemingly random, but some are related to happenings in that particular state. Take a look and see if you’ve been looking up the same words as your neighbors.
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Below, we’ve listed each state’s word, its definition, and, for the oddly specific terms, the most likely reason that people were looking them up during that time.
Alabama: Zeus
Zeus: For whatever reason, the people of Alabama are curious about Zeus, the supreme deity of the ancient Greeks who is a mean shot with a thunderbolt.
Alaska: blasé
blasé: Indifferent to or bored with life; unimpressed, as or as if from an excess of worldly pleasures.
Arizona: knock
knock: To strike a sounding blow with the fist, knuckles, or anything hard, especially on a door, window, or the like, as in seeking admittance, calling attention, or giving a signal.
Arkansas: phony
phony: Not real or genuine; fake.
California: success
success: The favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors.
Colorado: triple-double
triple-double: Colorado’s unique lookup—triple-double—was no doubt inspired by Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokić, who racked up multiple triple-doubles during the Nuggets’ playoff run, which eventually resulted in their first NBA championship. In basketball, a triple-double is a double-digit tally in three key statistical categories (most often points, assists, and rebounds). Jokić became the seventh player in NBA history to have more than one triple-double in the same Finals.
Connecticut: merriment
merriment: Cheerful or joyful gaiety.
Delaware: gourd
gourd: The hard-shelled fruit of any of various plants, especially those of Lagenaria siceraria (white-flowered gourd, or bottle gourd), whose dried shell is used for bowls and other utensils, and Cucurbita pepo (yellow-flowered gourd), used ornamentally.
Florida: woke
woke: In May 2023, the word that Florida looked up more than any other state is woke, the politically charged adjective that has undergone a shift in how it’s used and by whom. Notably, the pejorative sense of the term has recently become a political buzzword that’s almost certain to be encountered in the context of the most contentiously debated issues.
Georgia: pseudopod
pseudopod: A temporary protrusion of the protoplasm, as of certain protozoans, usually serving as an organ of locomotion or prehension.
Hawaii: poetry
poetry: Hawaiians’ curiosity for poetry (“the art of rhythmical composition, written or spoken, for exciting pleasure by beautiful, imaginative, or elevated thoughts”) may have been motivated by the Aloha State’s selecting of a new poet laureate in May.
Idaho: poll
poll: Idaho held statewide local elections in May, and it seems plenty of people decided to look up the word poll, which can refer to the registering of votes, as at an election, or to the place where people vote.
Illinois: idiosyncrasy
idiosyncrasy: A characteristic, habit, mannerism, or the like, that is peculiar to an individual.
Indiana: mortgage
mortgage: A conveyance of an interest in real property as security for the repayment of money borrowed to buy the property; a lien or claim on property such that the lender can take possession if the loan is not repaid.
Iowa: fluid
fluid: A substance, as a liquid or gas, that is capable of flowing and that changes its shape at a steady rate when acted upon by a force tending to change its shape.
Kansas: high horse
high horse: A haughty attitude or temper; a contemptuous manner.
Kentucky: terminal
terminal: Situated at or forming the end or extremity of something.
Louisiana: barnacle
barnacle: Any marine crustacean of the subclass Cirripedia, usually having a calcareous shell, being either stalked (goose barnacle) and attaching itself to ship bottoms and floating timber, or stalkless (rock barnacle, or acorn barnacle) and attaching itself to rocks, especially in the intertidal zone.
Maine: plod
plod: To walk heavily or move laboriously; trudge.
Maryland: revere
revere: To regard with respect tinged with awe; venerate.
Massachusetts: fleet
fleet: The largest organized unit of naval ships grouped for tactical or other purposes.
Michigan: freedom
freedom: The state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint.
Minnesota: trudge
trudge: To walk, especially laboriously or wearily.
Mississippi: it
it: Mississippi’s unique lookup is it, which could mean Mississippians are looking up the pronoun for some reason—or maybe they’re actually trying to get some help with IT (information technology).
Missouri: lookup
lookup: Our list of lookups gets meta for a moment with Missouri’s unique word, lookup, meaning “an act or instance of looking something up, as information in a reference book or an online database.”
Montana: idolatry
idolatry: The religious worship of idols.
Nebraska: recapitulate
recapitulate: To review by a brief summary, as at the end of a speech or discussion; summarize.
Nevada: natural hat trick
natural hat trick: Residents of Nevada apparently rushed to look up what a natural hat trick is after Las Vegas Golden Knights hockey player Jonathan Marchessault managed to achieve this feat in a May 14 NHL playoff game against the Edmonton Oilers. So what is it? A natural hat trick is the feat of scoring three consecutive goals without anyone else from either team scoring in between.
New Hampshire: plenary
plenary: Full; complete; entire; absolute.
New Jersey: disenfranchise
disenfranchise: To deprive (a person) of a right or privilege of citizenship, especially the right to vote.
New Mexico: peradventure
peradventure: Chance, doubt, or uncertainty.
New York: limerence
limerence: The state of being obsessively infatuated with someone, usually accompanied by delusions of or a desire for an intense romantic relationship with that person.
North Carolina: lethargic
lethargic: Of, relating to, or affected with lethargy; drowsy; sluggish; apathetic.
North Dakota: peremptorily
peremptorily: In a way that leaves no opportunity for denial or refusal.
Ohio: regulate
regulate: To control or direct by a rule, principle, method, etc.
Oklahoma: tucker
tucker: Oklahoma’s unique word is tucker, which is used as a noun to mean “a person or thing that tucks” and a verb (often followed by out) to mean “to weary; tire; exhaust.”
Oregon: credulous
credulous: Willing to believe or trust too readily, especially without proper or adequate evidence; gullible.
Pennsylvania: unabashed
unabashed: Not ashamed, disconcerted, or apologetic; boldly certain of one’s position.
Rhode Island: regeneration
regeneration: The act of regenerating; state of being regenerated.
South Carolina: cold war
cold war: Intense economic, political, military, and ideological rivalry between nations that does not extend to military conflict; sustained hostile political policies and an atmosphere of strain between opposed countries.
South Dakota: centennial
centennial: Pertaining to, or marking the completion of, a period of 100 years; pertaining to a 100th anniversary.
Tennessee: aerosolize
aerosolize: To disperse or discharge as an aerosol.
Texas: metaphor
metaphor: A figure of speech in which a term or phrase is applied to something to which it is not literally applicable in order to suggest a resemblance.
Utah: pyrrhic
pyrrhic: Utah’s unique word pyrrhic, which means “of, relating to, or resembling Pyrrhus, king of Epirus, or his costly victory,” is most often used in the phrase pyrrhic victory to mean “a victory or goal achieved at too great a cost.”
Vermont: saleratus
saleratus: Vermont’s unique(ly weird) word saleratus is an archaic name for sodium bicarbonate, also known as baking soda. Perhaps these lookups have to do with King Arthur Baking Company, which is headquartered in Vermont.
Virginia: rudimentary
rudimentary: Pertaining to rudiments or first principles; elementary.
Washington: sustainability
sustainability: The ability to be sustained, supported, upheld, or confirmed; the quality of not being harmful to the environment or depleting natural resources, and thereby supporting long-term ecological balance.
Washington, D.C.: only
only: Without others or anything further; alone; solely; exclusively.
West Virginia: bottlebrush
bottlebrush: Any of various trees or shrubs of the myrtle family, especially of the genera Callistemon and Melaleuca, native to Australia and adjacent areas, having spikes of flowers with numerous conspicuous stamens.
Wisconsin: grouse
grouse: A verb meaning “to grumble; complain.” Or any of numerous gallinaceous birds of the subfamily Tetraoninae. (The state bird of Wisconsin is not a grouse—it’s the American robin.)
Wyoming: chronobiology
chronobiology: The science or study of the effect of time, especially rhythms, on living systems.
