Cambridge Dictionary Announced Its 2024 Word of the Year

The English language is constantly evolving, and dictionaries are adding new words all the time. But sometimes a word that’s been around for centuries suddenly takes off. You can’t escape it: It’s on repeat in conversations, crops up in countless social media posts and works its way into pop culture.

When an established word gains notable traction in public discourse, it reflects a broader societal shift or a cultural moment. And if that word is particularly influential and really captures what’s happening in the world, a prominent dictionary may herald it as its “word of the year.”

Recently, the Cambridge Dictionary revealed its word of the year for 2024. Can you visualize what it is? Read on to find out what it is, what it means and why it’s captured our attention.

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What is the Cambridge Dictionary word of the year?

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This year’s title goes to the verb manifest, which the Cambridge Dictionary defines as “to use methods such as visualization and affirmation to help you imagine achieving something you want, in the belief that doing so will make it more likely to happen.”

Manifest, thought to have originated from the Latin manifestare, meaning “to make clear” or “to reveal,” isn’t a word that’s new to the dictionary. As far back as the late 14th century, Chaucer used manyfest as an adjective to mean “obvious.” Since then, the term’s definition has continued to evolve. It wasn’t until around 1919 that people started to use the word to mean “to make something happen by internalizing it, intentionally or unintentionally.”

In recent years, however, fueled by the popularity of the self-help movement, manifest has become a buzzword for the belief that thinking positively or visualizing one’s goals can bring them into reality. In 2024, the word manifest made the jump from the self-help community and social media hashtags to mainstream media.

Why did Cambridge Dictionary select manifest as its 2024 word of the year?

In selecting the word of the year, “we have three considerations: user data, zeitgeist and language,” says Wendalyn Nichols, Cambridge Dictionary‘s publishing manager.

Users looked up manifest almost 130,000 times on the Cambridge Dictionary website, making it one of the most viewed words of 2024.

“Manifest won this year because it increased notably in lookups, its use widened greatly across all types of media and it shows how the meanings of a word can change over time,” adds Nichols.

What were some key manifesting moments of 2024?

Manifesting, focusing your mind on something you want in an attempt to make it a reality, seemed to be everywhere this year. Singer Dua Lipa, who has said she believes in “putting things into the world,” had dreamed of performing at the Glastonbury Festival and “manifested” her concert for more than 100,000 attendees. Fans of Sabrina Carpenter have called her a “manifesting queen” for turning her admiration of Taylor Swift into appearances on the Eras Tour and a friendship.

The Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris this summer brought tons of attention to manifesting, with several gold medalists attributing their achievements to the practice. The GOAT, gymnast Simone Biles, has often talked about setting goals and dreaming big to manifest them into reality—she even kept a homemade Wheaties box with her face on it in her childhood bedroom as motivation.

All of which begs the question: Did the word manifest manifest its status as the word of the year?

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Sources:

• Cambridge Dictionary: “The Cambridge Dictionary Word of the Year 2024 is…”
• Oxford English Dictionary: “Manifest”
• Time: “Dua Lipa Manifested All of This”
• E News: “Simone Biles Manifesting Her Wheaties Box Is More Proof She’s the GOAT”