MEAWW.COM / NEWS / HUMAN INTEREST

Google slammed after word Jew is listed in search results as 'offensive verb' with shocking meaning

Google responded to controversy surrounding the definition of 'Jew' that appeared as a result on the popular search engine

'Search engine giant Google caused a huge uproar after results for the word 'Jew' listed it as an offensive verb. For at least several hours on Tuesday morning, December 27, the dictionary function in the Google search bar displayed an insulting definition of 'Jew' which read 'bargain with someone in a miserly or petty way.' The listing cited Oxford Languages as the source of the word and referred to the it as a verb, complete with a banner marked 'offensive' in capital letters.

Google Search Liaison Danny Sullivan quickly responded to the situation and apologized after growing ourtage from Internet users. "Our apologies," Danny Sullivan tweeted. "Google licenses definitions from third-party dictionary experts. We only display offensive definitions by default if they are the main meaning of a term. As this is not the case here, we have blocked this & passed along feedback to the partner for further review," the Google expert explained.

READ MORE

Archie Battersbee’s mom slams social media giants over son’s death, says ‘blackout challenge' killed 82 children

'I was the one who was holding him': Elon Musk’s ex-wife Justine denies claims of their son dying in his arms

Google's response to the controversy comes after the situation was flagged on Twitter by Amy Spitalnick, the executive director of the nonprofit organization Integrity First for America, who is also a vocal advocate against antisemitism. "So, if you Google the word 'Jew' - this is what comes up as the definition," she tweeted. "'Bargain with someone in a miserly or petty way.' Seriously, @Google?" she questioned.

Journalist Laura Loom also tweeted a screenshot showing the offensive definition which was called up when she searched 'Jewdefine.' "So Google decided to change the definition of 'Jew' over Hanukkah," she wrote. "Pretty crazy. What's going on, @Google?" she tweeted. Nevertheless, the error was shortly corrected, with a proper religious definition of the word 'Jew' appearing by default on Google. 'A member of the people and cultural community whose traditional religion is Judaism and who trace their origins through the ancient Hebrew people of Israel to Abraham,' the search results now show.

The incident involving the offensive definition of the term 'Jew' comes amid growing antisemitism across the country. As explained by the Google representative, its dictionary boxes show definitions from third-party expert sources. This means Google does not create or write or modify the definitions, adding the results does not reflect the opinions of Google, according to Fox News. "We license definitions, which include examples, similar and opposite words, and origins, from third-party experts who compile dictionaries," the representative noted.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.