Britain

American  

[brit-n] / ˈbrɪt n /

noun

1. Great Britain.

2. Britannia.

---

Britain British  

/ ˈbrɪtən /

noun

1. another name for Great Britain United Kingdom

---

Britain Cultural  

1. Officially the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, located on the British Isles off the western coast of the mainland (continent) of Europe. It comprises England, Wales, and Scotland on the island of Great Britain, and Northern Ireland on the island of Ireland. Its capital and largest city is London.

---

Discover More

It is one of the world's leading industrialized nations.

Most of the settlers of the American colonies were British. The colonies remained under the British crown until the American Revolutionary War.

Britain declared war on Germany in 1939. Allied with the United States and the Soviet Union, the British, under the leadership of Winston Churchill, played an important role in defeating Germany.

At the height of its imperial power in the late nineteenth century, Britain boasted colonies and possessions around the globe. (See British Empire.)

A constitutional monarchy, Britain's government calls for the hereditary king or queen to perform mostly ceremonial functions. Parliament governs the country.

Compare meaning

How does britain compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• Britain vs. England
• Britain vs. Great Britain

Example Sentences

The two men are believed to have met in Philadelphia in the late spring of 1775, when Adams was pushing his fellow delegates to the Second Continental Congress to declare independence from Great Britain.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 2, 2026

"That equipment will fall out of use, and we'll lose all that talent and all that kind of world-leading research from Britain."

From BBC • Jul. 2, 2026

It will get progressively warmer next week across much of the country, with hot air establishing itself across southern Britain.

From BBC • Jul. 1, 2026

The loan comes after French President Emmanuel Macron in July 2025 promised to allow the tapestry to be moved to the British Museum for 18 months to celebrate the relationship between France and Britain.

From Barron's • Jul. 1, 2026

When the news reached Britain, the public was particularly intrigued by the spy’s alleged connection with a British citizen named Janet Chisholm.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin