British

[ brit-ish ]

adjective

1. of or relating to Great Britain or its inhabitants.
2. used especially by natives or inhabitants of Great Britain:

   In this dictionary, “Brit.” is an abbreviation for “British usage.”

noun

1. the people native to or inhabiting Great Britain.
2. British English.
3. the Celtic language of the ancient Britons.

British

/ ˈbrɪtɪʃ /

adjective

1. relating to, denoting, or characteristic of Britain or any of the natives, citizens, or inhabitants of the United Kingdom
2. relating to or denoting the English language as spoken and written in Britain, esp the S dialect generally regarded as standard See also Southern British English Received Pronunciation
3. relating to or denoting the ancient Britons
4. of or relating to the Commonwealth

   British subjects

noun

1. functioning as plural the natives or inhabitants of Britain
2. the extinct Celtic language of the ancient Britons See also Brythonic

Derived Forms

• ˈBritishness, noun

Other Words From

• British·ly adverb
• British·ness noun
• anti-British adjective noun
• non-British adjective
• pre-British adjective
• pro-British adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of British¹

before 900; Middle English Brittische, Old English Bryttisc, equivalent to Brytt ( as ) Britons + -isc- -ish ¹; Briton

Example Sentences

The UK must "rebuild relations" with the EU "while respecting the decision of the British people" who voted to leave in 2016, the Bank of England's governor will say later.

From BBC

Despite these shocking revelations, mainly involving boys from elite British public schools, the Rushton report was not widely circulated.

From BBC

“On one hand you have a prison service that’s meant to be rule-abiding and strict and uphold British values, and in reality you have corrupt officers.”

From BBC

The family of a man who died after being shot by a British soldier more than 50 years ago in Londonderry have been awarded a "significant financial settlement".

From BBC

The British Museum is to receive what is believed to be the highest-value gift ever received by a UK museum with the acquisition of £1bn worth of Chinese ceramics.

From BBC