oxford

O1X8F4O1R1D2
US/ˈɑksfɚd/UK/ˈɒksfəd/UK/ˈɔːksfəd/

proper noun

A city and local government district in Oxfordshire, England, famous for its university.

CommonScrabble 17

Meanings

oxford1

nounoxford (countable and uncountable, plural oxfords)

plural oxfords

  1. countableuncountableAlternative letter-case form of Oxford (cloth)

    The other evening I was doing a very grown-up thing, ironing an oxford cloth shirt for work[…].

    2007 March 17, Nicholas Kulish, “How Close Is Too Close to Shane MacGowan and the Pogues?”, in New York Times
  2. countableuncountableAlternative letter-case form of Oxford (shoe)

Oxford2

proper noun

alternative Early Modern Oxeford · alternative Early Modern Oxforth · alternative Early Modern Oxenford · alternative Early Modern Oxenforth

  1. A city and local government district in Oxfordshire, England, famous for its university.

    Earlier this month a technical glitch involving LTN data resulted in dozens of roads in Oxford incorrectly appearing as closed on satellite navigation devices.

    2021 June 19, “Hundreds protest over Oxford Low Traffic Neighbourhoods”, in BBC News, archived from the original on 30 Jun 2021
  2. abbreviationellipsisEllipsis of University of Oxford.
  3. An English habitational surname derived from the city in England.
  4. Other places in England:
    1. A hamlet in Ancroft parish, Northumberland (OS grid ref NU0046).
    2. An outer suburb of Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire (OS grid ref SJ8753).
  5. A number of places in the United States:
    1. A city in Calhoun County, Talladega County and Cleburne County, Alabama.

      Candace Rivers’ involvement with trucking began, fittingly, on Interstate 20 not far from her hometown of Oxford, Alabama.

      2021 April 10, AJ Willingham, “Female truckers have become TikTok influencers, and they’re changing the transportation game”, in CNN
    2. A town in New Haven County, Connecticut; named for the city in England.
    3. A city in Newton County, Georgia; named for the university.
    4. A former city in Franklin County, Idaho, disincorporated in 2024.
    5. A minor city and township in Johnson County, Iowa; named for its township, itself named for the town in New York.
    6. A town and census-designated place therein, in Oxford County, Maine; named for the city in England.
    7. A city, the county seat of Lafayette County, Mississippi; named for the city in England.
    8. A town and village therein, in Chenango County, New York; named for the town in Massachusetts.
    9. A number of other townships, listed under Oxford Township.
  6. A place in Canada:
  7. A rural locality in Isaac Region, Queensland, Australia.
nounOxford (countable and uncountable, plural Oxfords)

plural Oxfords · alternative Early Modern Oxeford · alternative Early Modern Oxforth · alternative Early Modern Oxenford · alternative Early Modern Oxenforth

  1. countableuncountableA variety of shoe, typically made of heavy leather.

    We had to have a young lady assistant to help us work this graft; and I asked Buck if he knew of one to fill the bill. "One," says I, "that is cool and wise and strictly business from her pompadour to her Oxfords. No ex-toe-dancers or gum-chewers or crayon portrait canvassers for this."

    1908, O. Henry, A Tempered Wind

    Synonyms: balmoral, Oxford shoe

  2. attributivecountableuncountableusuallyA type of basket weave cotton fabric used for clothing.
    1 more example

    I was amazed at the sight of such a medley of things. The newest shapes in straw hats were lying side by side with camp ovens and frying-pans, while flannel and Oxford shirts, together with wideawake felt hats, vests, collars, and ties, kept company with boxes of tea, bags of flour, and ready-tapped barrels of whiskey, rum, and gin.

    1887, Harriet W. Daly, Digging, Squatting, and Pioneering Life in the Northern Territory of South Australia, page 148
  3. AustraliaabbreviationarchaiccountableellipsisuncountableEllipsis of Oxford scholar.
  4. countableuncountableA dictionary published by Oxford University Press, especially the Oxford English Dictionary.
  5. abbreviationcountableellipsisuncountableEllipsis of Oxford shirt.

    […] slid his pants off, revealing glimpses of red cotton bikinis covered by the tail of his white oxford.

    1986, Craig G. Harris, “Weekend Plans”, in Joseph Beam, editor, In The Life: A Black Gay Anthology, page 135
  6. UKabbreviationcountableellipsisuncountableEllipsis of Oxford marmalade.

Synonyms & antonyms

proper nounA town in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia.

nounA variety of shoe, typically made of heavy leather.

Origin

  1. Old EnglishOxnaford“Oxford”
  2. Middle EnglishOxenford
  3. EnglishOxford

From Middle English Oxenford, Oxneford, from Old English Oxnaford (“Oxford”, literally “oxen's ford”), equivalent to ox + ford. Compare Old Norse Öxnafurða.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek Ὀξωνία, Ὀξώνιον
  • Ὀξωνία (Oxōnía)city
  • Ὀξώνιον (Oxṓnion)city
Arabic أُكْسْفُورْد
  • أُكْسْفُورْد (ʔuksfūrd)city
Basque Oxford
  • Oxfordcity
Bengali অক্সফোর্ড
  • অক্সফোর্ড (okśophōrḍo)city
Bulgarian О́ксфорд, О́ксфордски речник
  • О́ксфорд (Óksford)city
  • О́ксфордски речник (Óksfordski rečnik)dictionary
Catalan Oxford
  • Oxfordcity
Chinese Cantonese 牛津
  • 牛津 (ngau⁴ zeon¹)city
Chinese Mandarin 牛津
  • 牛津 (Niújīn)city
Czech Oxford
  • Oxfordcity
Danish Oxford
  • Oxfordcity
Dutch Oxford, Ossenvoord
  • Oxfordcity
  • Ossenvoordcity
Esperanto Oksfordo
  • Oksfordocity
Estonian Oxford
  • Oxfordcity
Finnish Oxford, Oxfordin sanakirja
  • Oxfordcity
  • Oxfordin sanakirjadictionary
French Oxford
  • Oxfordcity
German Oxford, Ochsenfurt
  • Oxfordcity
  • Ochsenfurtcity
Greek Οξφόρδη
  • Οξφόρδη (Oxfórdi)city
Hebrew אוקספורד
  • אוקספורדcity
Hindi ऑक्सफ़ोर्ड
  • ऑक्सफ़ोर्ड (ŏksaforḍ)city
Hungarian Oxford
  • Oxfordcity
Icelandic Öxnafurða
  • Öxnafurðacity
Irish Áth na nDamh
  • Áth na nDamhcity
Italian Oxford, Osfordia
  • Oxfordcity
  • Osfordiacity
Japanese オックスフォード
  • オックスフォード (Okkusufōdo)city
Korean 옥스포드
  • 옥스포드 (Okseupodeu)city
Latin Oxfordia, Oxōnia
  • Oxfordiacity
  • Oxōniacity
  • Oxōniumcity
Latvian Oksforda
  • Oksfordacity
Lithuanian Oksfordas
  • Oksfordascity
Norwegian Bokmål Oxford
  • Oxfordcity
Persian آکسفورد
  • آکسفوردcity
Polish Oksford, Oxford
  • Oksfordcity
  • Oxfordcity
Portuguese Oxford, Oxónia
  • Oxfordcity
  • Oxóniacity
  • Oxôniacity
Punjabi ਆਕਸਫ਼ੋਰਡ
  • ਆਕਸਫ਼ੋਰਡ (ākasforaḍ)city
Romanian Oxford
  • Oxfordcity
Russian О́ксфорд
  • О́ксфорд (Óksford)city
Scottish Gaelic Àth nan Damh
  • Àth nan Damhcity
Slovak Oxford
  • Oxfordcity
Spanish Oxford
  • Oxfordcity
Swedish Oxford
  • Oxfordcity
Tamil ஆக்சுபோர்டு
  • ஆக்சுபோர்டு (ākcupōrṭu)city
Thai อ็อกฟอร์ด
  • อ็อกฟอร์ด (ókfôt)city
Turkish Oxford
  • Oxfordcity
Ukrainian Оксфорд
  • Оксфорд (Oksford)city
Urdu آکسفورڈ
  • آکسفورڈ (āksforḍ)city
Welsh Rhydychen
  • Rhydychencity
Yiddish אָקספֿאָרד
  • אָקספֿאָרד (oksford)city

Rhymes & wordplay

Sounds the same

Cite this entry
APA

oxford. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/oxford

MLA

“oxford.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/oxford. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “oxford,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/oxford.

Source: oxford on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.