British

noun

Brit·​ish ˈbri-tish 

1

a

: the Celtic language of the ancient Britons

b

: british english

2

plural in construction : the people of Great Britain or the Commonwealth of Nations

British adjective

Britishism

ˈbri-ti-ˌshi-zəm 

noun

Britishness noun

Examples of British in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Though from North Vancouver, British Columbia, Celebrini’s father, Rick, is vice president of player health and performance for the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, and the youngster spent a year playing for the Sharks’ junior team. —John Wawrow, Chicago Tribune, 9 June 2024

In September, one estimate found that by 2030, at its current pace of development, British Columbia will be 610,000 units of housing short of what would have been considered affordable a decade ago. —Sara Miller Llana, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 June 2024

Among the ones that do are JetBlue, Frontier Airlines, Air Canada, and British Airways. —Eric Rosen, Travel + Leisure, 7 June 2024

Lord Mountbatten’s husband Mountbatten made headlines in 2016 by being the first person in the extended British Royal Family to come out as gay. —Rebecca Schneid, TIME, 7 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English Bruttische of Britain, from Old English Brettisc, from Brettas Britons, of Celtic origin; akin to Welsh Brython Briton

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing British

• anti-British
• British English
• British Summer Time
• British thermal unit
• the British

Kids Definition

British

1 of 2 noun

Brit·​ish

ˈbrit-ish

1

plural British : the people of Great Britain or their descendants

2

: the English language as spoken in England

British

2 of 2 adjective

1

: of or relating to the original people of Britain

2

a

: of or relating to Great Britain or the British

b

: English entry 1