Brexit

[breg-zit, brek-sit]

noun

1. the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from membership in the European Union.

2. the nonbinding national referendum in 2016 that resulted in a vote for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Brexit¹

First recorded in 2012; (originally also spelled Brixit , referencing Britain's possible withdrawal); Br(itain) ( def. ) or Br(itish) ( def. ) + exit ¹ ( def. ); probably patterned on Grexit ( def. ), which dates from earlier that year

Example Sentences

Rama dismissed the figure as "bonkers" and accused Farage of peddling "post-truth Brexit playbook" politics.

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Farage said his party would renegotiate the last government's Brexit deal to enable the move, claiming the agreement was unfairly one-sided.

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A document on the plans circulated to journalists argued the Brexit treaty had been "one-sided", as there were more Europeans claiming benefits in the UK compared to British citizens on the continent.

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Speaking at a rival pre-Budget press conference, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said Reform's idea of reopening the Brexit deal was a "bad idea".

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The Tories said unpicking the Brexit deal was a "ridiculous" idea, whilst Labour warned it could spark a trade war with Brussels.

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