Terms of Service
Last updated: July 8, 2026.
By using Black’s Dictionary (the “service”), you agree to these terms. If you don’t agree, please don’t use the service.
The service
Black’s Dictionary is a community-run, source-first archive of Black American vernacular — offered for education and cultural preservation.
Your account
Provide accurate information and keep your login secure. You’re responsible for activity under your account. We may suspend accounts that abuse the service or violate these terms.
Contributions
When you submit a word, definition, source, or pronunciation, you confirm you have the right to share it, and you grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to publish, display, edit for accuracy, and archive it as part of the record. Submissions pass through keeper review and must meet our standards; we may accept, edit, decline, or remove any contribution.
Donations
Donations are processed by Stripe and may be one-time or recurring; you can cancel a recurring gift at any time. Donations support the mission and are generally non-refundable. Unless we state otherwise, gifts are not tax-deductible.
Acceptable use
Don’t use the service to break the law, harass others, misappropriate the work of others, or disrupt the platform. Don’t scrape or attempt to access data you’re not authorized to.
Intellectual property
The site’s design, branding, and original editorial belong to Black’s Dictionary. Contributions remain credited to their contributors under the license above. The language itself belongs to the people who made it.
Disclaimers & liability
The service is provided “as is,” without warranties. Linguistic and historical information is offered for education and may contain errors or evolve over time; it is not professional advice. To the extent permitted by law, we are not liable for indirect or incidental damages arising from your use of the service.
Changes & contact
We may update these terms; continued use after changes means you accept them. Questions: hello@blacksdictionary.com.