Brexit

American  

[breg-zit, brek-sit] / ˈbrɛg zɪt, ˈbrɛk sɪt /

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.

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Etymology

Origin of Brexit

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

He warned then that such an approach – whether on Brexit or Scottish independence -meant that political divisions were not permitted to heal.

From BBC • Jun. 28, 2026

But Brexit isn’t the only actor at play, with a structural lack of exposure to technology stocks also hindering performance, they wrote.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 24, 2026

“The U.K. equity story reflects a structurally impaired investment case, driven by both supply and demand shortfalls rather than Brexit alone,” the strategists noted.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 24, 2026

The most consistent source of economic growth in the NI over the last decade has been in business services, which are not covered by the special Brexit deal.

From BBC • Jun. 23, 2026

In the negotiations that followed the Brexit vote in 2016, the trickiest issue was how to keep a free-flowing border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

From BBC • Jun. 23, 2026