Chances are if you do any kind of writing on your Mac, you’ll need a definition of a word from time to time, whether you’re writing for your job or writing for pleasure, writing an email or an anti-corporate screed for your blog.
There are many ways to get a word’s definition on your Mac, including the built-in dictionary app, using a site like Dictionary.com, or the like. Did you know, however, that the file index and search app, Spotlight, also allows you to find a definition super quick?
Have you ever wanted to know the definition of a word without having to perform a Google search or open an app? If you have an iPhone 4S you can use Siri to look up definitions, but older iOS devices are have immediate way to show a definition.
Apple has a built-in dictionary in iOS that’s easy to forget about, but luckily a jailbreak tweak called SpotDict makes it simple to lookup words on the iPhone. SpotDict uses Apple’s dictionary to let you quickly define words from the Spotlight window in iOS.
Engadget spotted that in OS X’s own Dictionary.app, the definition of Apple is woefully out of date, not even mentioning Cupertino’s biggest products: the iPhone and iPad.
Sadly, the dictionary is also out of date in other ways… namely, in how it lists Steve Jobs.
Last week, we published a video how-to that demonstrated a number of simple ways you can make Mac OS X look and act more like iOS. To be added to that list is an awesome new utility from Pilotmoon that makes the copy & paste function on your Mac look just like the copy & paste function on your iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.
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Did you know that in OS X Lion you can get a quick dictionary definition of any word with a simple trackpad gesture? In the past, you would have to look up a definition in Spotlight or through a right click menu.
In Lion, a quick definition is as easy as a three-finger double tap on your trackpad. Just mouse over any word and perform the gesture; a nice little, translucent window should pop up with a definition. No more Google searches when you’re typing in a word processor!
While you can hardly blame Microsoft entirely for this one, you’d think they’d at least notice that the featured Dictionary application on their official Windows Phone page had stolen its icon wholesale from the competition. Could we get a slow clap, please?
Longer answer: there’s an application called Dictionary (you can find it in your Applications folder, or search for it with Spotlight) which has detailed entries for thousands of words and phrases.
![Find Definitions Quickly With Spotlight [OS X Tips]](http://cdn.cultofmac.com/wp-content/plugins/lazy-load/images/1x1.trans.gif)
![Find Definitions Quickly With Spotlight [OS X Tips]](http://cdn.cultofmac.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Spotlight-Dictionary.jpg)
![How To Use Spotlight To Quickly Search Apple’s Built-In Dictionary In iOS [Jailbreak]](http://cdn.cultofmac.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Screen-Shot-2012-05-11-at-5.07.31-PM.jpg "Screen Shot 2012-05-11 at 5.07.31 PM")
![Apple’s Dictionary Really Needs To Be Updated In OS X Mountain Lion [Image]](http://cdn.cultofmac.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/apple-dictionary2.jpg "apple-dictionary2")
![Learning A New Language Doesn’t Cost A Fortune Thanks To Ultralingua’s Software [Cult Of Mac Deals]](http://cdn.cultofmac.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/translate.jpg)
