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

It said that 65% of people in the area voted for Brexit in the referendum in 2016.

From BBC • May 17, 2026

Harborne has previously given large sums to the Conservatives under Boris Johnson's leadership, as well as Reform's predecessor the Brexit Party in 2019 and 2020.

From BBC • Apr. 30, 2026

That is lower than previously projected as the ONS now treats the post Brexit immigration peak as a "blip" rather than an ongoing trend, said Dr Madeleine Sumption, of Oxford University's Migration Observatory.

From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026

Nearly ten years after the Brexit vote, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has promised to reduce post-Brexit red tape and costs for UK companies doing business with the UK's biggest export market, the EU.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026

The main Leave campaign ahead of the Brexit vote, a decade ago now, promised the UK would "take back control" from Brussels.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026