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.

---

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

Also, as Brexit took away some of the advantages of importing food from continental Europe, Senegal became increasingly more appealing.

From BBC

At the same time, government statistics show that County Durham is home to seven of the 10 poorest rural communities in England, and that its former mining villages have become more deprived since the UK voted for Brexit in 2016.

From BBC

He has lived through six prime ministers, from Cameron to Keir Starmer, weathered the storms of Brexit, Covid-19, the chaos of "partygate," Liz Truss's 49‑day whirlwind occupation, and the more orderly months under Rishi Sunak.

From Barron's

It was this cultural gag reflex that caused the specter of American chicken to become a major point of contention during Brexit, when people became worried the renegotiated trade deals would make their own food-safety attitudes vulnerable to assault from our population’s street-rat standards.

From Slate

After Brexit, the UK left the EU's carbon market and launched its own one in 2021, allowing companies to buy and sell carbon credits.

From BBC