Restricting searches

A standard search looks in every Dictionary entry for the required search term, but the Advanced search page allows you to restrict the set of entries searched, using the panel to the right of the search form.

Restricting to the results of a previous search

Suppose you want to refine the results of an earlier search. For example, a Find Word search for march matches seven entries, but if you are only interested in the word which means ‘border’ or ‘frontier’, you can refine this search by using the ‘Restrict search’ feature.

1. Open the Advanced search page by clicking the button at the base of the screen.

2. Choose from the tabs to retrieve entries, rather than quotations. (This is the default option.)

   

3. Enter your search terms (e.g. border) in the boxes in the usual way.

4. Select your search areas (e.g. definitions) from the list boxes in the usual way.

5. In the panel to the right of the search form, check the box labelled ‘Restrict search to results of:’.

6. Select either the previous search or search number radio button, to restrict to the results of an earlier search (e.g. the Find Word search march).

   • If the search number radio button is selected, enter the number of the desired search in the text box.

   

   The last ten searches are listed at the foot of the Advanced search page (you may have to scroll down to see them).

7. Click the button.

   In the example, the search performed is for the word border in definitions, but only in the entries for march.

   A search for quotations, rather than entries, can only be restricted to the results of a previous search for quotations. A search for entries cannot be restricted to the results of a previous search for quotations.

8. The results are displayed in the results list. Two entries are matched: a noun and a related verb.

Restricting to entries with a particular part of speech

Before starting an Advanced search, if you check one or more of the boxes in the ‘Part of speech filter’, the search will be performed on only those entries with the selected part(s) of speech.

In the previous example, if you were only interested in nouns, you could check the box labelled ‘noun’ from the list before starting the search. There would be a single result: the entry march n.³, whose first meaning is ‘the border or frontier of a country’.

• Example searches