Collins Dictionary API

Name: Collins Dictionary API API
Brand: Collins Dictionary API
Availability: InStock

★ Only Publicly Available OpenAPI DocumentData EnrichmentData TransformationapiKey3 EndpointsREST

For Agents

Search Collins dictionaries, fetch full entries by ID, and walk nearby alphabetical entries across English, thesaurus, and bilingual content through 3 endpoints.

Quickstart

Get started with Collins Dictionary API in minutes using your preferred integration method.

# Add to your MCP client config (Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf)
{
  "jentic": {
    "url": "https://api.jentic.com/mcp",
    "auth": "oauth"
  }
}

# Then ask your agent:
"look up an English word definition"

# → Jentic returns the GET /events tool with parameter schema, agent executes.

Capabilities

What an agent can do with Collins Dictionary API API.

Search a Collins dictionary for entries matching a headword via GET /dictionaries/{dictionary}/search

Retrieve a complete dictionary entry with definitions, examples, and metadata via GET /dictionaries/{dictionary}/entries/{entryId}

Browse alphabetically adjacent entries via GET /dictionaries/{dictionary}/nearby

Choose between English, thesaurus, and bilingual dictionaries via the {dictionary} path parameter

GET STARTED

Start building with Collins Dictionary API API

Explore with Jentic

View OpenAPI Document

Jentic publishes the only available OpenAPI document for Collins Dictionary API, keeping it validated and agent-ready.

Jentic publishes the only available OpenAPI specification for Collins Dictionary API, keeping it validated and agent-ready. The Collins Dictionary API exposes Collins's English, thesaurus, and bilingual dictionary content covering definitions, translations, examples, and related entries. The API has 3 GET endpoints scoped per dictionary code: search, fetch entry by ID, and nearby alphabetical entries. Authentication is via an accesskey query parameter issued through api.collinsdictionary.com registration.

Use Cases

Patterns agents use Collins Dictionary API API for, with concrete tasks.

★ Reading Comprehension Tools

Power a reader app's tap-to-define feature by calling GET /dictionaries/english/search with the tapped word and rendering the first matching entry's definitions and examples. Collins's editorial content is well-suited to learners because each entry includes pronunciations, part-of-speech labels, and contextual examples. Pair with the thesaurus dictionary for synonym suggestions.

Call GET /dictionaries/english/search?q=ephemeral and return the first entry's definitions and example sentences

Bilingual Translation Helper

Build a translation helper by selecting a bilingual dictionary code (e.g., english-french) and calling GET /dictionaries/{dictionary}/search with the source word. Collins returns the target-language headwords, sense numbers, and examples — enough context for a learner-grade translation tool without a full neural translation model. This is particularly useful for language-learning apps.

Call GET /dictionaries/english-french/search?q=house and return the French headwords with their example sentences

Crossword and Word Game Hints

Build hint and validation features for word games using GET /dictionaries/{dictionary}/nearby to walk alphabetical neighbours and GET /dictionaries/{dictionary}/search to confirm a word exists. The nearby endpoint suits 'did you mean' UX and partial-match autocomplete because it returns surrounding entries from the live dictionary.

Call GET /dictionaries/english/nearby?word=epheemral to surface near-spellings and GET /search to verify the corrected spelling exists

AI Agent Lexical Lookups via Jentic

Expose Collins lookups to an LLM agent through Jentic by searching for the operation and executing it with the returned schema. The accesskey is held in the Jentic vault and applied at execution as a query parameter so the agent never sees the key. Useful for writing-assistant copilots and educational chatbots.

Use Jentic to search 'look up an English word definition', load the GET /dictionaries/{dictionary}/search schema, and execute it with dictionary=english and q=alacrity

Key Endpoints

3 endpoints — jentic publishes the only available openapi specification for collins dictionary api, keeping it validated and agent-ready.

METHOD

PATH

DESCRIPTION

GET

/dictionaries/{dictionary}/search

Search dictionary entries

GET

/dictionaries/{dictionary}/entries/{entryId}

Get an entry by ID

GET

/dictionaries/{dictionary}/nearby

List alphabetically nearby entries

GET

/dictionaries/{dictionary}/search

Search dictionary entries

GET

/dictionaries/{dictionary}/entries/{entryId}

Get an entry by ID

GET

/dictionaries/{dictionary}/nearby

List alphabetically nearby entries

Why though Jentic?

Three things that make agents converge on Jentic-routed access.

Credential isolation

The Collins accesskey is stored encrypted in the Jentic vault and injected into the query string at execution. The key never enters the agent context.

Intent-based discovery

Agents search by intent (e.g., 'look up an English word definition') and Jentic returns the matching Collins operation with its parameter schema so the agent can call the right endpoint without browsing docs.

Time to first call

Direct integration: a few hours for query-string auth and dictionary-code selection. Through Jentic: under 30 minutes — search, load schema, execute.

Related APIs

Alternatives and complements available in the Jentic catalogue.

Alternative

Oxford Dictionaries API

Comparable English and bilingual dictionary API from a major publisher

Choose Oxford when you specifically need Oxford's editorial content or when your subscription is already with Oxford

Alternative

Merriam-Webster Dictionary API

Authoritative US English dictionary with student and learner editions

Choose Merriam-Webster when American English coverage and US-curated definitions are required

Complementary

Wordnik API

Crowd and corpus-driven word data including word-of-the-day and frequency

Pair with Collins when you need usage frequency, word-of-the-day content, or unconventional vocabulary

FAQs

Specific to using Collins Dictionary API API through Jentic.

Why is there no official OpenAPI spec for Collins Dictionary API?

Collins does not publish an OpenAPI specification. Jentic generates and maintains this spec so that AI agents and developers can call Collins Dictionary API via structured tooling. It is validated against the live API and kept up to date. Get started at https://app.jentic.com/sign-up.

What authentication does the Collins Dictionary API use?

Collins requires an accesskey query parameter on every call, obtained by registering at api.collinsdictionary.com. Through Jentic the key lives in the encrypted vault and is appended to the query at execution so the agent never sees it.

Which Collins dictionaries are available through this API?

The {dictionary} path parameter selects the dictionary code: English, English thesaurus, and several bilingual dictionaries (e.g., English-French, English-German, English-Spanish). Consult the Collins developer portal for the current list of supported codes.

Can I get example sentences with the Collins Dictionary API?

Yes. GET /dictionaries/{dictionary}/entries/{entryId} returns the full entry including definitions, part-of-speech labels, pronunciations, and example sentences. Search results from /search include entry IDs you can pass to /entries to fetch the full content.

What are the rate limits for the Collins Dictionary API?

The OpenAPI spec does not enumerate rate limits. Limits are tier-based and tied to your accesskey. HTTP error responses indicate when limits or subscription scope block a request.

How do I look up a word's definition through Jentic?

Search Jentic for 'look up an English word definition', load the GET /dictionaries/{dictionary}/search schema, and execute it with dictionary=english and q={word}. Jentic injects the accesskey from the vault and returns matching entries.