Home Google: The Word of the Decade

Google: The Word of the Decade

The American Dialect Society (ADS) has namedgoogle – the verb – as its Word of the Decade. According to the ADS, the verb google (meaning to “search the Internet”) won out over blog, which, according to Grant Barrett, the chair of the ADS’s New Word Committee, “just sounds ugly.” Tweet was named the top word of the year for 2009. Fail – “a noun or interjection used when something is egregiously unsuccessful” – was 2009’s most useful word.

Definitions:

  1. Tweet: noun, a short message sent via the Twitter.com service, and verb, the act of sending such a message.
  2. Google: Verb meaning “to search the Internet.” Generic form of the trademarked “Google,” the world’s dominant Internet search engine.
  3. Fail: A noun or interjection used when something is egregiously unsuccessful. Usually written as “FAIL!”

The ADS’s members include linguists, grammarians, etymologists, writers, editors and university students. The ADS was founded in 1889.

Twitter and other social networks have clearly captured the imagination of many language societies. Twitter was the top word of in the Global Language Monitor‘s survey, and unfriend was the New Oxford American Dictionary’s 2009 Word of the year. To represent the 1990s, the ADS picked Web as the top word of the decade.

Do You Agree?

What do you think? Do you think google deserves to be the one word that represents the last decade? Or is this just another example of how Google is succeeding in its slow takeover of our culture?

About ReadWrite’s Editorial Process

The ReadWrite Editorial policy involves closely monitoring the tech industry for major developments, new product launches, AI breakthroughs, video game releases and other newsworthy events. Editors assign relevant stories to staff writers or freelance contributors with expertise in each particular topic area. Before publication, articles go through a rigorous round of editing for accuracy, clarity, and to ensure adherence to ReadWrite's style guidelines.

Get the biggest tech headlines of the day delivered to your inbox

    By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. Unsubscribe anytime.

    Tech News

    Explore the latest in tech with our Tech News. We cut through the noise for concise, relevant updates, keeping you informed about the rapidly evolving tech landscape with curated content that separates signal from noise.

    In-Depth Tech Stories

    Explore tech impact in In-Depth Stories. Narrative data journalism offers comprehensive analyses, revealing stories behind data. Understand industry trends for a deeper perspective on tech's intricate relationships with society.

    Expert Reviews

    Empower decisions with Expert Reviews, merging industry expertise and insightful analysis. Delve into tech intricacies, get the best deals, and stay ahead with our trustworthy guide to navigating the ever-changing tech market.