The events of this year have sent people to search for words like “coronavirus ” and “COVID-19 .” It also brought words that we rarely used in the recent past , such as “quarantine ,” “lockdown ,” and “pandemic .” So what did Cambridge Dictionary choose as the 2020 word of the year ? The answer is “quarantine .” Cambridge said searches for the word increased in March when many countries went into lockdown to stop the spread of the new coronavirus . The word has also taken on a new meaning and Cambridge has since added to its definition . Collins Dictionary , another British publisher , chose “lockdown ” for its word of the year . It said the word represents a uniting experience for people across the world . The publisher noted that "lockdown " was originally a word connected to prison life . When prisoners riot or cause other trouble , guards will lock them inside their cells to help return order to the prison . In 2020 , Collins said under lockdown , “normal public life is suspended ” and “we see few people , and fewer places .” The meaning of the word has changed in people's mind : “Lockdown is now a public health measure .” On March 11 , the World Health Organization (WHO ) declared the coronavirus crisis a “pandemic .” At a news conference that day , the World Health Organization's director-general said , “Pandemic is not a word to use lightly or carelessly .” Both Oxford and Collins said “pandemic ” received consideration as their word of the year . The Oxford Dictionary , however , did not select "pandemic " or any single word as its “word of the year .” Oxford Dictionary officials said 2020 is not a year that could be described in a single word . So it decided to look at words as they changed throughout the year in a “Words of an Unprecedented Year ” report . It was “bushfire ” in January when more than 200 fires were burning across Australia . In February , everyone was talking about the “impeachment ” of U.S . President Donald Trump . The month of March brought “coronavirus ” followed by “COVID-19 .” Then came “lockdown , social distancing , reopening , hand sanitizer , coverings , and super-spreader .” “Mail-in ” saw increased usage in August as Americans looked for ways to vote safely during the pandemic . In 2019 , Merriam-Webster chose “they ” as its word of the year . The word “they ” has no gender and can be used in place of "he " or "she ." However , the online betting website Sportsbook Review says the word “COVID-19 ” is the heavy favorite to become Webster's word of the year .