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

Electric tugs docked alongside an LNG carrier being loaded at the LNG Canada docks in Kitimat, British Columbia, Canada, on Monday, July 14, 2025. — Sam Meredith, CNBC, 29 Sep. 2026

The [British John] across refers to a person — ELTON — while the [British john] is a British-English term for a bathroom, LOO. — Sam Corbin, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2026

Affleck had a particularly amusing — and maybe slightly awkward — anecdote to share when asked about seeking directorial advice from the British Oscar winner. — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 28 Sep. 2026

Other recent credits include Vanessa Caswell’s Love at First Sight and Sally El Hosaini and James Krishna Floyd’s Unicorns, which earned Hardy a British Independent Film Award nomination. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 28 Sep. 2026

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 Columbian
• British English
• British Racing Green
• British Summer Time
• British thermal unit
• the British

Rhymes for British

• skittish

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