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

They were also sold in Alberta, British Columbia, Calgary, Saskatchewan and Ontario. —Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2024

American audiences on Netflix and Roku know the show as The Great British Baking Show, but in the U.K., the show airs under its original name, The Great British Bake-Off. —Sabrina Weiss, People.com, 29 Nov. 2024

In addition, a teenager in British Columbia was infected more than two weeks ago and has been in critical care since. —Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 29 Nov. 2024

At the beginning of this year, Martin was awarded the MBE — Member of the Order of the British Empire — in the King’s New Year’s Honours List for his services to drama. —Lily Ford, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Nov. 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