use-icon

HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY

To look up an entry in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, use the search window above. For best results, after typing in the word, click on the “Search” button instead of using the “enter” key.

Some compound words (like bus rapid transit, dog whistle, or identity theft) don’t appear on the drop-down list when you type them in the search bar. For best results with compound words, place a quotation mark before the compound word in the search window.

guide to the dictionary

use-icon

THE USAGE PANEL

The Usage Panel is a group of nearly 200 prominent scholars, creative writers, journalists, diplomats, and others in occupations requiring mastery of language. Annual surveys have gauged the acceptability of particular usages and grammatical constructions.

The Panelists

open-icon

AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY APP

The new American Heritage Dictionary app is now available for iOS and Android.

scroll-icon

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY BLOG

The articles in our blog examine new words, revised definitions, interesting images from the fifth edition, discussions of usage, and more.

100-words-icon

See word lists from the best-selling 100 Words Series!

Find out more!

open-icon

INTERESTED IN DICTIONARIES?

Check out the Dictionary Society of North America at http://www.dictionarysociety.com

re·port (rĭ-pôrt)
Share:
n.
1.
a. A formal account of the proceedings or transactions of a group: a company's annual report.
b. A spoken or written account of an event, usually presented in detail: a news report; reports of children getting food poisoning.
2. A person who is accountable or subordinate to another person within a company or organization: a manager with two reports.
3. reports Law Bound volumes containing the published court opinions in legal cases, intended to provide a reference for precedents in subsequent cases.
4.
a. Reputation; repute: We know him only by report.
b. Archaic Common talk; rumor or gossip.
5. An explosive noise: the report of a rifle.
v. re·port·ed, re·port·ing, re·ports
v.tr.
1.
a. To make or present an official or formal account of: The study reported a decline in heart disease. The audit reports that the company lost money.
b. To write or provide an account or summation of for publication or broadcast: report the news.
2.
a. To tell about the presence or occurrence of: A burglar was reported in the area.
b. To relate or tell, especially from personal experience: They reported that fallen tree limbs were blocking the road. See Synonyms at describe.
3. To submit or relate the results of considerations concerning: The committee reported the bill.
4. To carry back and repeat to another: reported the rumor of a strike.
5. To complain about or denounce: reported the students to the principal.
v.intr.
1. To make a report: Would you please report on what happened?
2. To serve as a reporter for a publication, broadcasting company, or other news media.
3. To present oneself: report for duty.
4. To be accountable or subordinate to someone: She reports directly to the board of directors.
Phrasal Verb:
report out
To return after deliberation to a legislative body for action: The committee reported the new tax bill out.
Idiom:
on report
Subject to disciplinary action.

[Middle English, from Old French, from reporter, to report, from Latin reportāre : re-, re- + portāre, to carry; see per-2 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

re·porta·ble adj.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.