Cambridge University Press ("Cambridge") is a Syndicate of the University of Cambridge with VAT registered number GB 823 8476 09. Our principal office is at University Printing House, Shaftesbury Road, Cambridge, CB2 8BS, United Kingdom.
By applying to register to use the Cambridge Dictionary API (the "CDO API") You agree that You are authorized to accept these Terms of Use on behalf of Yourself and, where applicable, Your company ("You/Your") and You agree to comply with and be bound by the same.
Cambridge may amend these Terms of Use at any time, and any revised version will be effective immediately when it is displayed on this website. Your continued use of the CDO API shall be deemed to constitute Your acknowledgement of any such changes.
In the event of any comments or questions concerning these Terms of Use as set out below, please contact us by e-mailing The Legal Services Director at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or writing to The Legal Services Director, Cambridge University Press, University Printing House, Shaftesbury Road, Cambridge, CB2 8BS, United Kingdom.
- Intellectual property
Cambridge owns or is licensed to use all intellectual property rights in and to the CDO API and all technical infrastructure relating thereto (including but not limited to all logos, designs, text, graphics, artwork and audio).
Cambridge owns or is licensed to use all intellectual property rights in the Cambridge Dictionary website content and any other dictionary content made available via the CDO API (
"the CDO Content").You agree not to remove, obscure or alter our copyright notices, trade marks, or other proprietary notices affixed to or embedded within the CDO Content or any other materials.
- Grant of rights
Subject to Cambridge’s acceptance of Your request, You are hereby granted a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to use the CDO API to access, download, copy and reproduce the CDO Content for evaluation purposes only subject to these Terms of Use and any further specifications as may be provided by Cambridge from time to time.
- Access
(a) Access to the CDO Content via the CDO API shall be granted to You for evaluation purposes only upon approval of a valid request submitted to and accepted by Cambridge via the online registration form.
Upon approval of Your request You will be able to log in using the username and password you have set and will be issued with an API evaluation key (
"API Evaluation Key"). Your API Evaluation Key shall be used for identification and authorisation purposes via our servers to allow You access to the CDO API and to a set of CDO Content for the purpose of testing the methods used by the CDO API. Cambridge will measure and monitor Your use of the CDO API and the CDO Content via Your API Evaluation Key.Your username, password and API Evaluation Key must be kept confidential and may only be used by You subject to these Terms of Use. Unauthorized use of Your username, password and/or API Evaluation Key, either with or without Your knowledge and consent, shall be considered a breach of these Terms of Use.
Cambridge makes no guarantees to You as regards the availability of access to the CDO Content via the CDO API. You acknowledge that the CDO API and all CDO Content is subject to change. Cambridge hereby reserves the right to change any CDO Content at any time, in its sole discretion and without notice to You.
(b) Following your evaluation of the CDO API under these Terms of Use, should you wish to develop any kind of application or website functionality using the CDO Content, You must apply to Cambridge for an application-specific API Key (
"API Development Key") via the online data licensing query form. Any such use of the CDO API and CDO Content for the purposes of development shall be subject to the terms and conditions of an Application Development Agreement which shall be entered into between Yourself and Cambridge. - Permitted uses
You may access, download, copy and reproduce the CDO Content for evaluation purposes only.
All other rights are reserved.
The CDO Content available to You via the CDO API will be regulated by the specific request types Cambridge makes available with the CDO API. The request types currently available are listed in the CDO API Documentation.
Cambridge reserves the right to change the available request types at any time, at its sole discretion and without notice.
- Prohibited uses
You may not:
- alter, amend, modify or change the CDO Content in any way;
- use the CDO Content or CDO API for commercial uses (including but not limited to reproducing or exploiting any CDO Content, in whole or in part, in any product, service or application that You have developed) without first having entered into an Application Development Agreement with Cambridge (see 3(b) above);
- use the CDO Content in such a way that disrupts, interferes with or restricts the use of the CDO Content by other users;
- sell, lease, lend, convey or sublicense to any third party any CDO Content, in whole or in part;
- share Your username, password and/or API Evaluation Key with, or provide direct access to the CDO API to, any third party;
- interfere or attempt to interfere in any manner with the workings of the CDO API or the Cambridge Dictionary servers;
- reverse engineer, decompile or otherwise attempt to extract the source code of the CDO API or any CDO Content;
- modify or delete any proprietary notices affiliated with the CDO API or any other materials Cambridge may provide to You;
- cache, record, pre-fetch or otherwise make or store copies of the CDO Content, including but not limited to making calls for the purpose of creating an independent store of the CDO Content;
- use the CDO API, CDO Content or any associated logos or marks in any way, or make available any content which in Cambridge’s reasonable opinion may be considered defamatory, obscene, unlawful, objectionable, libellous or in any way invasive of another’s privacy or intellectual property rights.
- Usage
You are limited to 3,000 free calls for a period of 30 days to the CDO API for evaluation purposes only. Cambridge may, at its sole discretion approve a higher limit with or without any associated charges so long as Your use of the CDO API abides by these Terms of Use.
You shall not attempt to circumvent automated use-quota restrictions.
Please note that You are responsible for keeping Your username, password and API Evaluation Key secure and for ensuring that no one other than Yourself has access to the CDO API through Your API Evaluation Key.
Cambridge will measure and monitor Your use of the CDO API and the CDO Content via Your API Evaluation Key. Cambridge shall not be responsible if Your monthly allowance is used up as a result of Your failure to protect Your API Evaluation Key.
- Exclusions and limitations of liability
Your use of and reliance upon the CDO API and CDO Content is entirely at Your own risk.
The CDO Content and any information or other material contained in it are made available strictly on the basis that you accept it on an “as is” and “as available” basis. You accept that all warranties, conditions and undertakings, express or implied, whether by common law, statute, trade usage, course of dealings or otherwise in respect of the CDO Content are excluded to the fullest extent permitted by law.
Cambridge makes no guarantee that the CDO API or CDO Content will be free of infection by viruses or anything else which may be harmful or destructive and excludes all liability whatsoever, to the fullest extent permitted by law, in respect of any loss or damage occasioned to You by accessing the CDO Content via the CDO API.
Cambridge excludes all liability whatsoever, to the fullest extent permitted by law, in respect of any loss or damage resulting or arising from any non-availability or use of the CDO Content, or from reliance on the contents of the CDO Content or any material or content accessed through it.
- Term and termination
Your API Evaluation Key shall automatically expire after 30 days. You may at any time during or after the Term apply for an Application Development Key by submitting a request through the online Dictionary Data Query form. Prior to expiry Cambridge shall contact You to determine whether You wish to continue to use the CDO API for evaluation purposes and if so may decide to extend the expiry date of Your API Evaluation Key.
Your permission to use the CDO API and CDO Content shall terminate automatically should You commit a material breach of these Terms of Use. Furthermore Cambridge reserves the right to cancel or suspend Your username, password and/or API Evaluation Key at any time and for any reason without notice to You.
You may terminate this agreement at any time by ceasing to use the CDO API and CDO Content.
Upon termination for whatever reason the licence granted to You under 2 above shall automatically terminate and You should immediately cease use of all CDO Content. You shall immediately delete any remaining CDO Content in Your possession.
Termination shall not affect any claim which Cambridge may have for damages or otherwise.
- No partnership
You are an independent contractor and nothing herein shall render You an agent or partner of Cambridge and You shall not hold Yourself out as such.
- Data
Cambridge shall collect Your personal details during the process described in 3 above, and will use such data for the purposes of performing this agreement.
Cambridge acts in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998. By providing Your personal details to us You consent to Cambridge maintaining, recording, holding and using such personal data in accordance with our Privacy Policy: http://www.cambridge.org/policy/privacy/.
- Bribery and corruption
Cambridge acts in accordance with the UK Bribery Act 2010. Neither You nor Cambridge shall engage in any activity, practice or conduct which would constitute an offense under the Bribery Act 2010, and both parties shall comply with Cambridge´s Anti-Bribery and Corruption Policy (http://www.cambridge.org/policy/abc_policy/) which may be revised from time to time.
- Governing law
These Terms of Use shall be governed by and construed in accordance with English law. Any dispute arising out of the accessing or use of the CDO API and CDO Content shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the English courts.
- Questions
If you have any questions or feedback about these Terms of Use, the CDO API or CDO Content then please do feel free to email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
