Great Britain

American  

noun

1. an island of NW Europe, separated from the mainland by the English Channel and the North Sea: since 1707 the name has applied politically to England, Scotland, and Wales. 88,139 sq. mi. (228,280 sq. km).

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Great Britain British  

noun

1. England, Wales, and Scotland including those adjacent islands governed from the mainland (i.e. excluding the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands). The United Kingdom of Great Britain was formed by the Act of Union (1707), although the term Great Britain had been in use since 1603, when James VI of Scotland became James I of England (including Wales). Later unions created the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1801) and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (1922). Pop: 57 851 100 (2003 est). Area: 229 523 sq km (88 619 sq miles) See also United Kingdom

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Compare meaning

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

• Great Britain vs. United Kingdom
• England vs. Great Britain
• Britain vs. Great Britain

Example Sentences

Compared with buying a stock portfolio, prediction markets would have been a much cleaner way to hedge against Great Britain leaving the EU by giving direct exposure to the question, “Will Brexit happen?”

From Barron's • Mar. 28, 2026

On 7 May millions of people will be able to vote in elections across Great Britain.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

The 24-year-old captured her first world indoor title in commanding fashion as she claimed 800m gold in a championship record time on a historic night for Great Britain in Poland on Sunday.

From BBC • Mar. 22, 2026

The Anglo-Scottish union of 1707 created the new polity of Great Britain and set it on course to become a globally dominant power.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026

Great Britain delivered locomotives and ship models, including an exquisite thirty-foot replica of Britain’s latest warship, Victoria, so detailed that even the links of chain in its handrails were to scale.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson