England
Americannoun
noun
Usage
What is England? England is one of the divisions that make up the country of the United Kingdom. England is the largest and most populous of the four divisions. While England is sometimes referred to as a country, it is actually part of the sovereign nation known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (commonly shortened to the United Kingdom or UK), along with Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. England is by far the most populous of the four divisions, having over 56 million people in 2019. The next largest division, Scotland, had approximately 5. 4 million people living there in 2019. England is also the largest in geographic size, being nearly 20,000 square miles larger than next-biggest, Scotland. England makes up most of the southern half of the island of Great Britain, with Wales located to its west and Scotland to its north. The word England is often mistakenly used to refer to the whole of the UK. As well, the division between the national government of the UK and the regional government of England is much less clear than the same divisions for Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. While the other three enjoy some degree of self-governance, England rarely does.
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The king or queen of England is the king or queen of the United Kingdom.
The name England is often used to refer to all of Great Britain.
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How does england compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Wingback Libby Cacace called up for New Zealand after an injury-hit season, starting their recent warm-up against England.
From BBC • Jun. 10, 2026
The first came when the 5-foot-5 Maradona jumped alongside the England goalkeeper and somehow put the ball in the net.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026
"Some of these kids might go on to play for England one day - most of them will not - but I hope that the fun they've had here will keep them playing, whatever level."
From BBC • Jun. 10, 2026
After he picked up the ball in his own half, Maradona danced past two England defenders, then two more, before his short legs carried him around the goalkeeper to score Argentina’s second.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026
I cannot stay here, & I am not going back to England.
From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
