This article is based on a plenary speech given at the 2011 American Association of Applied Linguistics conference in Chicago. It discusses the role of cognitive linguistic (CL) approaches to vocabulary teaching and how such approaches can be combined with more traditional second language vocabulary research. One of the arguments in favour of CL approaches is that they contribute in terms of engagement and motivation on the part of the learner by using non-arbitrary features as stimuli. This is thought to aid not only vocabulary learning, but also vocabulary retention. An overview of the cognitive linguistic contribution is given, which to a large extent focuses on metaphor in relation to prepositions, idioms, and phrasal verbs. The article also provides an inventory of quasi-experimental studies on the effect of CL-inspired instruction. On the whole, these studies indicate that the effect is positive but there is also a critical discussion offered in which various problems associated with these studies are highlighted. More empirical studies are needed to show the relevance of cognitive linguistic applications and point to ways in which they can be made more effective.