England
Americannoun
noun
Usage
What is England? England is one of the divisions that make up the country of the United Kingdom. England is the largest and most populous of the four divisions. While England is sometimes referred to as a country, it is actually part of the sovereign nation known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (commonly shortened to the United Kingdom or UK), along with Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. England is by far the most populous of the four divisions, having over 56 million people in 2019. The next largest division, Scotland, had approximately 5. 4 million people living there in 2019. England is also the largest in geographic size, being nearly 20,000 square miles larger than next-biggest, Scotland. England makes up most of the southern half of the island of Great Britain, with Wales located to its west and Scotland to its north. The word England is often mistakenly used to refer to the whole of the UK. As well, the division between the national government of the UK and the regional government of England is much less clear than the same divisions for Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. While the other three enjoy some degree of self-governance, England rarely does.
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The king or queen of England is the king or queen of the United Kingdom.
The name England is often used to refer to all of Great Britain.
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How does england compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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.
July’s 6.5 millimeters of rain in England, about 0.25 inches, was the lowest since records began in 1836 and less than half the next driest July—in 1911.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026
Plants that are a staple of English gardens—water-loving hydrangeas, rhododendrons, azaleas—will be harder and harder to maintain in southern England and become less common, he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026
In 2022 Swim England also looked specifically at those in the most deprived neighbourhoods.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
Schools across England and France sent students home when temperatures spiked, and officials in England are now considering changing the calendar to end classes weeks earlier.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026
In England the tulip buds were swelling, but in Plinkst the Russian winter was not yet done.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
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.
