Unfriend

The contenders for 2009 Big Law Word of the Year are not as hip as Oxford's Word of the Year -- a nod to Facebook's influence, "unfriend" -- but who said Big Law was hip? ❋ Unknown (2010)

The New Oxford American Dictionary named "unfriend" -- as in deleting someone as a friend on a social network such as Facebook -- its word of the year on Monday. ❋ Unknown (2009)

A bad break-up would also mean either of them, or both, would remove - 'unfriend' - the person from their list. ❋ Unknown (2009)

I think it's no coincidence, though, that to "unfriend" - essentially dropping a connection with someone made on Facebook - is the Oxford American Dictionary's 2009 Word of the Year as this decade of frenzied communication comes to a close. ❋ MARTHA IRVINE, AP National Writer (2009)

But will "unfriend" -- to remove someone as a "friend" on a social networking site -- find relevance beyond its online context as a verb, or will it be deleted along with passing technological trends? ❋ Unknown (2009)

"unfriend" - meaning to "de-friend" someone on a social networking site such as Facebook - deserved the 2009 word of the year award. ❋ Unknown (2010)

(If you 'unfriend' someone who is in your clan, they will remain your clan member unless you remove them from your clan.) ❋ Nissa_amas_katoj (2009)

Finally, "unfriend" becomes Oxford Dictionary's word of the year. ❋ Unknown (2009)

Twenty-five people a day would "unfriend" me for refusing to support Bush's war against Iraq or for condemning factory farming or for disapproving of disposable uranium-enriched diapers, or whatever. ❋ Ellen_datlow (2009)

Such an exertion will effectively "unfriend" any poor sap a legally binding action in all 50 states who is undoubtedly oblivious to the rationale behind the dissolution of the relationship. ❋ Jason Kitchen (2010)

CP+B created one Facebook promotion for Burger King, telling people if they would "unfriend" 10 of their friends, they'd get a free Whopper. ❋ Unknown (2010)

For context, the 2009 word of the year was "unfriend," and 2008's winner was "hypermiling." ❋ Ezra Klein (2010)

I recently had a friend, with whom I've had an increasingly difficult relationship over the years, "unfriend" me, because she found it troubling to see what was happening in my life while we were not on great speaking terms. ❋ Unknown (2009)

This new way of telling people how you feel, without saying anything at all has become so important-ish that the New Oxford American Dictionary named "unfriend" its 2009 Word of the Year. ❋ Unknown (2009)

• Side note: Oxford recently announced that "unfriend" was the new word of the year. ❋ Unknown (2009)