Mercia

American

[mur-shee-uh, -shuh] / ˈmɜr ʃi ə, -ʃə /

noun

an early English kingdom in central Britain.
a female given name.

Mercia British

/ ˈmɜːʃɪə /

noun

a kingdom and earldom of central and S England during the Anglo-Saxon period that reached its height under King Offa (757–96)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

In 787, with the pope’s permission, Offa established the archdiocese of Lichfield in Mercia.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026

By the mid-700s, the author writes, only the kingdoms of Mercia, Northumbria, Wessex, East Anglia and Kent “functioned as largely autonomous units.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026

West Mercia Police took nearly six months to pass the case on to the Metropolitan Police, who then arrested and charged Gunnery.

From BBC • Feb. 9, 2026

West Mercia Police has praised Zac for remaining calm and avoiding a crash on the busy route.

From BBC • Jan. 15, 2026

“So? We have ridden since the snows of winter covered this land, through the kingdom of Mercia, through—” Another 500 points.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023