Elon Musk's new Twitter plans got absolutely wrecked by the dictionary

Burn [noun]: a cutting remark intended to embarrass or humiliate someone —used chiefly in the phrase sick burn.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary Twitter account did exactly that in response to Elon Musk changing Twitter’s verification rule.

Last Week, Twitter announced that starting April 1, legacy verified users would be losing their blue checkmarks and have to subscribe to Twitter Blue to keep it.

“On April 1st, we will begin winding down our legacy verified program and removing legacy verified checkmarks,” Twitter Verified wrote.

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Musk added, “Any individual person’s Twitter account affiliated with a verified organization is automatically verified.”

The news was met with mixed reactions, with some believing it makes verification obsolete while others think it is democratic.

Getting in on the debate, Merriam-Webster dictionary decided to troll Musk by tweeting about a joke verification program.

“People who subscribe to Merriam-Webster Red™ will get exclusive access to the real definitions,” Merriam-Webster tweeted on Tuesday.

People responded to Merriam-Webster's troll of Musk positively.

Later on, Merriam-Webster tweeted, "It has been brought to our attention that we've been giving everyone the real definitions since 1828. Merriam-Webster Red™ has been discontinued."

The legacy Twitter verification program's departure has been part of Musk’s plan since he acquired Twitter last year.

He said removing legacy verification was “more about treating everyone equally” because “there shouldn’t be a different standard for celebrities [in my opinion].”

As part of the new verification system, Musk also said that beginning April 15th, “only verified accounts will be eligible to be in For You recommendations.”

He said this was the “only realistic way” to prevent “advanced AI bot swarms” from taking over.

Additionally, voting in polls will require verification as well.

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