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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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Avian flu, cost-cutting and Brexit are among the reasons behind the transfer of captive birds from one of Northern Ireland's best-known wildlife sites, according to the charity that runs it.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

Earlier this year, he said Brexit had been "damaging" but "the last thing we should do right now is re-run those arguments".

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026

He was a supporter of Brexit but has been a tax resident in Monaco since 2020.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

Farage, a longtime Trump supporter who helped spearhead Brexit, defended Musk online against critics and described him as a crucial ally against the mainstream media.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026

However, Deluard said, the low exposure means that the selloff of British assets after the Brexit referendum in June 2016 is “exhausted.”

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026

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