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  • brit
    brit
    noun
    the group of small marine animals forming the food of baleen whales.
  • Brit
    Brit
    noun
    a native or inhabitant of Great Britain, especially of England; Briton.
  • Brit.
    Brit.
    abbreviation
    Britain.

brit

1 American  
[brit] / brɪt /
Or britt

noun

  1. the group of small marine animals forming the food of baleen whales.

  2. the young of herring and sprat.

Brit 2 American  
[brit] / brɪt /

noun

  1. a native or inhabitant of Great Britain, especially of England; Briton.

    He married a Brit.

  2. Disparaging. a member of the British army in Northern Ireland during the Troubles.

adjective

  1. of or relating to Great Britain or its inhabitants; British.

    The syllabus for the course in Brit Lit was none too inspiring.
Brit. 3 American  

abbreviation

  1. Britain.

  2. British.

Brit 1 British  

abbreviation

  1. Britain

  2. British

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
brit 2 British  
/ brɪt /

noun

  1. the young of a herring, sprat, or similar fish

  2. minute marine crustaceans, esp copepods, forming food for many fishes and whales

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Brit 3 British  
/ brɪt /

noun

  1. informal a British person

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of brit1

First recorded in 1595–1605; perhaps from Cornish brȳthel “mackerel”; akin to Old Cornish brȳth, Welsh brith “speckled”

Origin of Brit2

First recorded in 1900–05; by shortening

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.

Both artists also triumphed at the Brit Awards, the UK's flagship music ceremony.

From Barron's • Apr. 27, 2026

Mel B - or Scary Spice - wore her leopard-print catsuit at the girl group's performance at the 1997 Brit Awards.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026

She achieved seven Brit nominations in 2024, which is a record for the most in a single year.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

Powered by singles like Escapism and Oscar Winning Tears, it won a record-breaking six Brit Awards, including album of the year, which resulted in Raye "ugly crying on national television".

From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026

He got interested in Britney Harron—“me and Brit were talking,” as he puts it—but didn’t move quickly enough, and she ended up with a long-term boyfriend.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove

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.