British English

American  

noun

1. the English language as spoken and written in Great Britain, especially in southern England.

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Etymology

Origin of British English

First recorded in 1865–70

Compare meaning

How does british-english compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• British English vs. American English

Example Sentences

He identified himself Tuesday as Arthur Knight Brown and gave a birthdate in British English — listing the day first, followed by the month and year — that is different from Rossi’s, KSTU-TV reported.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 16, 2024

I say "com-FOR-table", and would probably swallow my tongue saying "CAM-for-table", in the style of Ms Stephens's British English.

From BBC • Sep. 8, 2023

Although it is associated with the English city of Oxford, the Oxford comma is not actually considered standard in British English.

From New York Times • Sep. 15, 2022

Another attempt, this time in Britain’s Collins English Dictionary, produced a brief entry for “splooting,” which it described as British English.

From Washington Post • Aug. 12, 2022

Adj. indigenous; native, natal; autochthonal†, autochthonous; British; English; American†; Canadian, Irish, Scotch, Scottish, Welsh; domestic; domiciliated†, domiciled; naturalized, vernacular, domesticated; domiciliary. in the occupation of; garrisoned by, occupied by.

From Roget's Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases by Roget, Peter Mark