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"Respect" became one of the most looked-up words of the year following the death of Aretha Franklin, according to Merriam-Webster.
- Merriam-Webster announced its Words of the Year, and the list included the words that people couldn't stop looking up in 2018.
- The words included "nationalism," "pansexual," and "laurel" of the notorious "laurel or yanny" debate.
- All those words were looked up at significantly higher rates than they were a year ago, the dictionary said.
Merriam-Webster announced its Words of the Year on Monday, and the winners reflect some of the biggest stories of 2018.
"Justice" was named the overall Word of the Year, the dictionary announced, while it selected 10 other notable words that people couldn't stop looking up in 2018.
The words include "lodestar," an obscure word that took center stage in one of the biggest political mysteries of the year, and "laurel," which may have been the word you heard in a viral social-media recording from May.
Others on the list were words associated with American icons who died in 2018: "respect" for Aretha Franklin and "maverick" for John McCain.
Those four words, along with the others on the list, were looked up at significantly higher rates than in years past, according to the dictionary.
Read on to see Merriam-Webster's top 10 Words of the Year: