One among the best free online references websites is the thefreedictionary.com, very educational and informative, contains a comprehensive volume of dictionary meanings and word uses including actual usage in sentences. Aside from being very educational the format is not very technical making it very user friendly and layman for common use. Its very utilitarian as it does not cater to academicians or students and scholars alone, it may also be used by the homemakers or the housewife taking care of their kids.