Briton

noun

Brit·​on ˈbri-tᵊn How to pronounce Briton (audio)
1
: a member of one of the peoples inhabiting Britain prior to the Anglo-Saxon invasions
2
: a native or subject of Great Britain
especially : englishman

Examples of Briton in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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But the Briton has started getting close to Leclerc since Miami in May, the qualifying gap falling from around three-tenths of a second to a tenth on average. Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2025 In Belgium, the Briton's W16 failed to contend with Charles Leclerc's Ferrari, finishing P5. Saajan Jogia, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Aug. 2025 The Briton only turned 19 in April but has already stepped up impressively to senior competition. Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 26 July 2025 The Briton remarked that a new suspension upgrade had made no difference to the way his car handled. Saajan Jogia, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 July 2025 The Briton positioned himself just eight points behind his teammate in the drivers’ standings, now looking to complete a hat trick of victories this weekend and rack up extra points in the sprint in the hopes of heading into the summer break on top. Yara Elshebiny, Forbes.com, 24 July 2025 What added to the Briton's troubles was a crash into the barriers at the pit entry. Saajan Jogia, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 July 2025 Another Briton in George Russell will also be hoping to secure his second victory of the season in front of his home crowd, and of course there is Lewis Hamilton who holds the record for the most wins at this legendary track with nine under his belt. Yara Elshebiny, Forbes.com, 3 July 2025 The result means that Norris has cut his teammate’s lead to 15 points at the top of the drivers’ championship, after their collision two weeks ago at the Canadian Grand Prix ended the Briton’s last race and cost him valuable points in the standings. Jamie Barton, CNN Money, 29 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English Breton, from Middle French & Latin; Middle French, from Latin Britton-, Britto, of Celtic origin; akin to Welsh Brython

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Briton was in the 13th century

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Cite this Entry

“Briton.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Briton. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.

Kids Definition

Briton

noun
Brit·​on ˈbrit-ən How to pronounce Briton (audio)
1
: a member of one of the peoples living in Britain before the Anglo-Saxon invasions
2

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