British

American  

[brit-ish] / ˈbrɪt ɪʃ /

adjective

1. of or relating to Great Britain or its inhabitants.

2. used especially by natives or inhabitants of Great Britain.

   In this dictionary, “Brit.” is an abbreviation for “British usage.”

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noun

1. the people native to or inhabiting Great Britain.

2. British English.

3. the Celtic language of the ancient Britons.

British British  

/ ˈbrɪtɪʃ /

adjective

1. relating to, denoting, or characteristic of Britain or any of the natives, citizens, or inhabitants of the United Kingdom

2. relating to or denoting the English language as spoken and written in Britain, esp the S dialect generally regarded as standard See also Southern British English Received Pronunciation

3. relating to or denoting the ancient Britons

4. of or relating to the Commonwealth

   British subjects

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noun

1. (functioning as plural) the natives or inhabitants of Britain

2. the extinct Celtic language of the ancient Britons See also Brythonic

Usage

What does British mean? British is used as an adjective to describe something as coming from or being related to the island of Great Britain or the people who live there, as in We drove through the British countryside.British is also used as a noun to mean the people of Great Britain, usually as “the British.”Great Britain, often referred to as just Britain, is a large island located off the northwest coast of continental Europe. It is made up of England, Wales, and Scotland, which are part of the United Kingdom (UK). There is no country called Great Britain. The name is used only to refer to the physical island.However, the United Kingdom is often referred to as Great Britain or Britain, even though the UK also includes Northern Ireland. For this reason, the word British is often used to refer to things related to the island or the people who live there, as in The exciting tennis match was covered by the British media.In a related sense, British is used as a noun to refer to the people who live or have lived on the island of Great Britain, as in The movie was more popular with the British than it was with Americans.Example: The British people are proud of their island home. 

Other Word Forms

• Britishly adverb
• Britishness noun
• anti-British adjective
• non-British adjective
• pre-British adjective
• pro-British adjective

Etymology

Origin of British

before 900; Middle English Brittische, Old English Bryttisc, equivalent to Brytt ( as ) Britons + -isc- -ish ¹; Briton

Example Sentences

Electronic warfare isn’t new, with the British Navy jamming and intercepting radio communications as far back as the start of the last century.

From The Wall Street Journal

In one of the greatest breakthroughs of the 20th Century, he identified the double-helix structure of DNA in 1953 alongside British scientist Francis Crick, setting the stage for rapid advances in molecular biology.

From BBC

It is widely considered one of the worst miscarriages of justice in British history.

From BBC

At the British embassy in Vilnius, Lithuania, he was taken seriously by MI6, which was astounded by the wealth of information the former archivist had to offer.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Industry”? I play Harper Stern, an underestimated American employee at the show’s British financial firm.

From The Wall Street Journal