In the United States, some state Departments of Motor Vehicles refer to Urban Dictionary in determining if certain license plates are appropriate or not. For example, a man in Las Vegas was allowed to keep "HOE" as his license plate after managing to convince the state, with the use of Urban Dictionary, that it meant "TAHOE", as in the vehicle made by Chevrolet, since that was already taken. [8] Chang, Clio (July 15, 2017). "Why Urban Dictionary Is Horrifically Racist". The New Republic. Archived from the original on February 9, 2019 . Retrieved February 7, 2019.

In the context of Urban Dictionary, "definitions" include not only literal definitions, but also descriptions. As such, "to define" a word or phrase on Urban Dictionary does not necessarily entail providing a strict definition; merely a description of some aspect of the word or phrase could suffice for inclusion in the dictionary.

a b c d Jenna Wortham (January 3, 2014). "A Lexicon of Instant Argot". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 28, 2019 . Retrieved November 17, 2014. a b "Feds Consulted Urban Dictionary In Threat Case". The Smoking Gun. August 31, 2011. Archived from the original on September 6, 2011 . Retrieved September 10, 2011. At the start of 2014, the dictionary had over seven million definitions, while 2,000 new entries were being added daily. [1] IBM had programmed Watson to use Urban Dictionary. After having all the words and definitions incorporated into Watson, it began responding to researchers' questions with profanity, leading the programmers to remove it from its memory and adding an additional filter to prevent it from swearing in the future. [17]

Humphries, Matthew (January 10, 2013). "Teaching Watson the Urban Dictionary turned out to be a huge mistake - News". @geekdotcom. Archived from the original on February 12, 2015. a b Jenna Wortham (January 5, 2014). "Urban Dictionary's Next Phase: Global and Mobile". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014 . Retrieved November 17, 2014. Originally, Urban Dictionary was intended as a dictionary of slang, or cultural words or phrases, not typically found in standard dictionaries, but it is now used to define any word or phrase. Words or phrases on Urban Dictionary may have multiple definitions, usage examples, and tags. Approve new words - 1. Should this be in Urban Dictionary?". Urban Dictionary. January 31, 2015. Archived from the original on January 28, 2015 . Retrieved January 31, 2015. Lieu, Johnny (February 2, 2018). "Urban Dictionary deletes racist and offensive entries for 'aboriginal' following outrage". Mashable. Archived from the original on February 9, 2019 . Retrieved February 7, 2019.

Alumni in the News: Summer & Fall 2009". Cal Poly Magazine. California Polytechnic State University. June 2009. Archived from the original on December 25, 2014 . Retrieved November 17, 2014. Romero, Alexis (August 21, 2019). "Palace disputes 'na-Duterte' urban dictionary entry". The Philippine Star. Archived from the original on December 4, 2021 . Retrieved December 5, 2021. Urban Dictionary 's guidelines list "hate speech, bullying, or any other statements meant to discriminate or incite violence against others" as a reportable offense. [14] Usage Ro, Christine (November 13, 2019). "How Linguists Are Using Urban Dictionary". JSTOR Daily. Archived from the original on December 18, 2019 . Retrieved January 4, 2020.