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'Ride-share' and 'unboxing' added to Oxford dictionary

'Ride-share' and 'unboxing' added to Oxford dictionary

The terms came in the dictionary's latest quarterly update

Lyft's app lets people hail a ride from their smartphones.

Lyft's app lets people hail a ride from their smartphones.

Ride-hailing apps like Uber and Lyft looking to promote the "sharing" aspect of their service have scored a victory of sorts.

'Ride-share' is now a recognized verb, according to Oxford Dictionaries, which defines it as to "participate in an arrangement in which a passenger travels in a private vehicle driven by its owner, for free or for a fee, especially as arranged by means of a website or app."

The word was one of hundreds added in the last quarterly update to OxfordDictionaries.com, which is published by Oxford University Press. So take that, critics who insist that Uber and its ilk are technically ride-booking, not ride-sharing, apps.

Other additions include bioprinting, defined as as "the use of 3D printing technology with materials that incorporate viable living cells, e.g. to produce tissue for reconstructive surgery."

And unboxing, a favorite past time for Apple enthusiasts especially: "An act or instance of removing a newly purchased product from its packaging and examining its features, typically when filmed and shared on a social media site."

That's quite the definition, especially when Merriam-Webster's defines "unbox" merely as: "To remove from a box."

Merriam-Webster does not have a definition for ride-share. But Dictionary.com does: "an act or instance of sharing, rides or transportation, especially by commuters," though with no mention of apps.

Oxford also added vishing, which is like phishing, but using phone calls or voice messages instead of emails to trick people in revealing sensitive information.

Zach Miners covers social networking, search and general technology news for IDG News Service. Follow Zach on Twitter at @zachminers. Zach's e-mail address is zach_miners@idg.com

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Tags social mediainternetsocial networkingconsumer electronicsInternet-based applications and servicesOxford Dictionaries

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