zlacker

>>cosmoj+(OP)
The dictionaries the author starts with seem to be the concise dictionaries which are intended to be that way. I don't blame him since the full dictionaries (e.g. OED) are hidden behind paywalls but the full dictionaries are really, really good. The entry for "flash" in the OED for example contains literary examples of the kind the author seems to want, like "red the gaze that flashes desolation". The OED also includes several senses of the word and its etymology.

The OED costs $100/year for US residents or £100/year for everyone else [0] but you can often get access through a library. The San Francisco Public Library has a proxy you can use if you have a library card there [1].

[0]: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/oxford-english-dicti...

[1]: http://www.oed.com.ezproxy.sfpl.org

>>Youden+jc
This is a bit off topic, but why do I need a subscription to access a dictionary? How often should I be expecting the language to change? Not to mention that the UX got much worse since the 90s, when I had a program on my desktop to instantly look up words.

>>stavro+gd
The OED is a historical dictionary that records over 1000 years of the language's development. It aims to be a complete dictionary of the English language from its origins to today. It frequently adds new entries and new examples of older words. I don't know that £100 per year is a reasonable price, but it's not an inexpensive endeavour to run; it employs many lexicographers.

Most people don't need the full OED and should probably just buy one of the smaller Oxford dictionaries. The Concise Oxford English Dictionary is an excellent single-volume dictionary of modern English based on the Oxford Dictionary of English (which is not the same as the Oxford English Dictionary. The OED is a historical dictionary, while the ODE is a dictionary of contemporary English).