British English

American  

noun

1. the English language as spoken and written in Great Britain, especially in southern England.

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Etymology

Origin of British English

First recorded in 1865–70

Compare meaning

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

• British English vs. American English

Example Sentences

I say "com-FOR-table", and would probably swallow my tongue saying "CAM-for-table", in the style of Ms Stephens's British English.

From BBC • Sep. 8, 2023

“Friendly warning, DO NOT set your iPad’s language to British English or it will go into mourning mode for the next couple of days,” read the tweet, which was shared more than 8,000 times.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 16, 2022

However, when you hear British English or English spoken with a French, German, or Slavic accent, you may notice the difference, but you also may make a different set of assumptions about those people.

From Textbooks • Dec. 21, 2021

“I decided that the Nigerian had learned British English, which made it more distinct from the French-inflected Haitian dialect, who would more likely be speaking American English,” he said.

From New York Times • Jun. 3, 2020

Adj. indigenous; native, natal; autochthonal†, autochthonous; British; English; American†; Canadian, Irish, Scotch, Scottish, Welsh; domestic; domiciliated†, domiciled; naturalized, vernacular, domesticated; domiciliary. in the occupation of; garrisoned by, occupied by.

From Roget's Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases by Roget, Peter Mark