Great Britain

American  

noun

1. an island of NW Europe, separated from the mainland by the English Channel and the North Sea: since 1707 the name has applied politically to England, Scotland, and Wales. 88,139 sq. mi. (228,280 sq. km).

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Great Britain British  

noun

1. England, Wales, and Scotland including those adjacent islands governed from the mainland (i.e. excluding the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands). The United Kingdom of Great Britain was formed by the Act of Union (1707), although the term Great Britain had been in use since 1603, when James VI of Scotland became James I of England (including Wales). Later unions created the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1801) and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (1922). Pop: 57 851 100 (2003 est). Area: 229 523 sq km (88 619 sq miles) See also United Kingdom

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Compare meaning

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

• Great Britain vs. United Kingdom
• England vs. Great Britain
• Britain vs. Great Britain

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Great Britain

Great Britain of the early 1950s is still struggling to recover from the catastrophe of World War II in Kate Atkinson’s workplace comedy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

Great Britain and Northern Ireland won 19 medals in Birmingham, including nine golds.

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026

Sonay Kartal and Katie Boulter lost their respective singles matches as Great Britain were beaten by a strong Czech Republic side in the Billie Jean King Cup quarter-finals.

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026

You give one of those sort of regal dogs from Great Britain — those people in kilts and they blow a tiny whistle that no one can hear and the dog runs for 300 miles.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026

Great Britain stood alone in the war against Hitler.

From "Bomb" by Steve Sheinkin