Brexit
Americannoun
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the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from membership in the European Union.
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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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
More than a million UC claimants were born overseas including around 700,000 EU citizens who arrived in the UK before Brexit and have the right to live and work in the country.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
The skilled worker scheme was introduced after Brexit for employers to recruit workers after Eu free movement ended.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
A spokesperson for Mayor Sadiq Khan said he is “using every power available to accelerate housebuilding despite the perfect storm of Brexit, high interest rates, increased building costs and global instability.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
A longtime opponent of Brexit, Burnham has repeatedly signalled his desire to build closer ties between Britain and the European Union.
From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026
Gibraltar voted by 96 percent to remain in the EU in Britain's 2016 Brexit referendum.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
