A trick and a resource

[Auldglory]

First the trick: In google, you can type in "define:thewordyouwanttodefine" and it will give you a variety of definitions for the word.

Secondly, the resource: www.bartelby.com is a collection of English reference materials such as dictionaries; thesauri; books on mechanics; and usage; and more. Some of the materials are fairly advanced, but hey you want to learn English, right?

[Yankee]

Hi Auldglory

I'm a fan of the usage notes provided on bartleby.com.

An excellent source for online dictionaries/definitions is this:
http://www.onelook.com/
Just type in the word you're looking for and it will provide links to lots of different online dictionaries which define that word.

Another resource that might interest you is the BNC (British National Corpus):
BNC
There you can type in a word or phrase (in the box entitled 'Search the Corpus') and then you just hit the 'enter' key on your keyboard. The BNC will then search for whole sentences in which the word or phrase has actually been used. (British usage)
.

[Auldglory]

Sweet.

I'm a huge fan of the AmHer dictionary. My etymology prof scarred me for life.

I also miss being in college and having the free access to the online version of the OED.