以attribute一词为例，基于对简明牛津与ODE以及兰登书屋韦氏大学词典和其足本Dictionary.com的对比，一窥简明牛津的简明之处以及大学版与足本的差异。
attribute:
ODE:
verb
1
regard something as being caused by
1.1
ascribe a work or remark to (a particular author, artist, or speaker)
1.2
regard a quality or feature as characteristic of or possessed by
noun
1
a quality or feature regarded as a characteristic or inherent part of someone or something
1.1
a material object recognized as symbolic of a person, especially a conventional object used in art to identify a saint or mythical figure
2
(Computing) a piece of information which determines the properties of a field or tag in a database or a string of characters in a display
3
(Grammar)an attributive adjective or noun
4
(Statistics)a real property which a statistical analysis is attempting to describe
简明牛津第11版：
verb
regard something as belonging to or being caused by.
noun
1a quality or feature regarded as characteristic or inherent.
2a material object recognized as representative of a person, status, or office.
可见，简明牛津中该词动词的释义是由ODE的3个义项中浓缩而成，但是ODE的义项更加明确地点明了适用的语境。如果简明牛津的浓缩的释义配以较为丰富的例句，足以弥补自身的这个缺陷。然而，简明之所以Concise，删减例证是一个重要方面。
再看名词释义，简明牛津的2个释义显然脱胎于ODE的第一个义项及其子义项，单词此外删掉了属于计算机、语法、统计学领域的专业义项。因其如此，故有简明之名，但这恰恰也是许多人不满所在。
Random House Webster College Dictionary
v.
- to regard as resulting from a specified cause:
- to consider as a quality or characteristic of the person, thing, group, etc., indicated:
- to regard as made or produced by or originating in the person, time, place, etc., indicated
n. - a quality, character, characteristic, or property attributed as belonging to a person, thing, group, etc.
- an object associated with a character, office, or quality, as the lion skin of Hercules.
- a subordinate word or phrase that serves to limit, particularize, or supplement the meaning of another
verb
1 to regard as resulting from a specified cause; consider as caused by something indicated (usually followed by to):
2 to consider as a quality or characteristic of the person, thing, group, etc., indicated:
3 to consider as made by the one indicated, especially with strong evidence but in the absence of conclusive proof:
4 to regard as produced by or originating in the time, period, place, etc., indicated; credit; assign:
noun
5 something attributed as belonging to a person, thing, group, etc.; a quality, character, characteristic, or property:
6 something used as a symbol of a particular person, office, or status:
7 (Grammar) a word or phrase that is syntactically subordinate to another and serves to limit, identify, particularize, describe, or supplement the meaning of the form with which it is in construction. In the red house, red is an attribute of house.
8 (Fine Arts) an object associated with or symbolic of a character, office, or quality, as the keys of St. Peter or the lion skin of Hercules.
9 (Philosophy) (in the philosophy of Spinoza) any of the essential qualifications of God, thought and extension being the only ones known.
10 (Logic) (in a proposition) that which is affirmed or denied concerning the subject.
11 (Obsolete)distinguished character; reputation.
就动词释义而言，兰登书屋韦氏大学词典相比足本，将足本的第3和第4个义项予以浓缩，结合在一起。个人感觉这个浓缩还是相当不错的。
至于名词义项，兰登书屋韦氏大学词典仅有3个，而其足本者搜罗了7个义项。前者的3个义项显然脱胎于足本的第5 7 8项。但是删掉了 第6项，即表示(人、职务、地位等的)标志或象征 以及该词在哲学、逻辑学领域的义项，对古旧词义也予以舍弃。