Look up word definitions, pronunciations, and translations via mcp-server-dictionary (npx)

Recipe: Word definitions via mcp-server-dictionary (npx)

Server: dictionary-server v0.0.1 via npx -y mcp-server-dictionary Transport: stdio (newline-delimited JSON-RPC) Auth: none — zero config, no API key Tools: 1 — lookup_word (look up any English word) Source: Cambridge Dictionary (dictionary.cambridge.org)

Launch

npx -y mcp-server-dictionary

What you get back

For each word lookup, the server returns structured JSON with:

• word — the queried word
• pos — parts of speech (adjective, noun, verb, etc.)
• pronunciation — UK and US IPA transcriptions with direct .mp3 audio URLs from Cambridge
• definition — full definitions with:
• English definition text
• Chinese translation
• Example sentences with translations

Trace 1 — "ephemeral"

Request: {"name":"lookup_word","arguments":{"word":"ephemeral"}} Result (abbreviated):

{
  "word": "ephemeral",
  "pos": ["adjective"],
  "pronunciation": [
    {"lang": "uk", "pron": "/ɪˈfem.ər.əl/", "url": "https://dictionary.cambridge.org/...uk_pron/.../ukepee_004.mp3"},
    {"lang": "us", "pron": "/ɪˈfem.ɚ.əl/", "url": "https://dictionary.cambridge.org/...us_pron/.../ephemeral.mp3"}
  ],
  "definition": [{
    "text": "lasting for only a short time",
    "translation": "短暂的，极短的;转瞬即逝的",
    "example": [{"text": "Fame in the world of rock and pop is largely ephemeral.", "translation": "在摇滚和流行音乐界，名声大多转瞬即逝。"}]
  }]
}

Trace 2 — "resilient"

Request: {"name":"lookup_word","arguments":{"word":"resilient"}} Result: adjective, UK /rɪˈzɪl.i.ənt/, US /rɪˈzɪl.jənt/, definition "able to quickly return to its usual shape after being bent, stretched, or pressed", with 2 example sentences.

Notes

• Cold start ~3s (npx install), then instant lookups (dictionary data is scraped live from Cambridge)
• Returns structured JSON, not raw text — easy to extract IPA, audio URLs, or translations programmatically
• Chinese translations included by default (en→zh Cambridge dictionary variant)
• Audio .mp3 URLs are direct links — can be fetched or played without auth
• Single tool server — simple to integrate, no config required