Merriam-Webster trolls United with the definition of 'volunteer'

In case United Airlines isn't aware of how problematic its statement on the controversial removal of a passenger from an overbooked flight is, Merriam-Webster whipped out a definition to enlighten everyone.

On Monday, after videos showed a bloodied United passenger being dragged down the aisle of a plane, the airline attempted to calm the widespread outrage by releasing several statements, one of which claimed that before choosing a passenger to be removed they asked for "volunteers."

That's great, United -- except Merriam-Webster defines volunteer, quite simply, as "someone who does something without being forced to," which was clearly not the case here.

The video shows a man being forcibly removed from his seat and dragged down the aisle with blood on his face while nearby passengers can be heard shouting for him to be released.

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What actually happened seems extremely removed from the "voluntary" actions United appeared to be concerned with before choosing a passenger to be removed, so it makes sense that people flocked to their trusty dictionary to double check the definition.

Along with tweeting the definition, Merriam-Webster explained that on April 10, following the incident, lookups for the word "volunteer" spiked 1900 percent.

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In response, Twitter followers dismayed by the situation began to create words they felt more accurately described the actions of the officers.

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Merriam-Webster also took note that United repeatedly states the flight was "overbooked." However, because the word was used adjectivally to modify a noun, the dictionary doesn't have a proper definition for it.

The dictionary is your friend, United. Use it.

Video credit: Tyler Bridges via Storyful.