United Kingdom

American  

noun

1. a kingdom in NW Europe, consisting of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: formerly comprising Great Britain and Ireland 1801–1922. 94,242 sq. mi. (244,100 sq. km). London. U.K.

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United Kingdom British  

noun

1.  UK.  a kingdom of NW Europe, consisting chiefly of the island of Great Britain together with Northern Ireland: became the world's leading colonial power in the 18th century; the first country to undergo the Industrial Revolution. It became the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in 1921, after the rest of Ireland became autonomous as the Irish Free State. Primarily it is a trading nation, the chief exports being manufactured goods; joined the Common Market (now the European Union) in January 1973. Official language: English; Gaelic, Welsh, and other minority languages. Religion: Christian majority. Currency: pound sterling. Capital: London. Pop: 63 395 574 (2013 est). Area: 244 110 sq km (94 251 sq miles) See also Great Britain

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United Kingdom Cultural  

1. Part of the official name of the British nation; the full name is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It includes England, Scotland, Wales, and six counties of Ireland, ruled by the king or queen of England, and represented in the nation's parliament.

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Compare meaning

How does united-kingdom compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• Great Britain vs. United Kingdom

Example Sentences

The author, who is based in the United Kingdom, became interested in the subject during the isolation of the Covid-19 lockdown and created a podcast, “Relatively,” in which she engages sibling dyads in conversation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026

Australia’s Commsec is the country’s lead retail broker on the offering, while Marex Financial is helping coordinate things in the United Kingdom.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 4, 2026

Universal's planned UK theme park will be named Universal United Kingdom Resort, it has been revealed, and will be supported by £1.3bn in government funding.

From BBC • Jun. 3, 2026

To investigate, Stallard and colleagues from institutions across the United Kingdom and United States turned to the James Webb Space Telescope.

From Science Daily • May 29, 2026

The world’s nations rushed to choose sides, and within a day, eighteen other countries, including the United Kingdom, also declared war on Japan.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein