O.B.E.

American  

abbreviation

1. Officer (of the Order) of the British Empire.

2. Order of the British Empire.

---

OBE British  

abbreviation

1. Officer of the Order of the British Empire (a Brit title)

2. out-of-body experience

---

Example Sentences

“I got an O.B.E. It’s Officer of the British Empire, but I’ve always known it as a British sweetheart, treasured. “

From New York Times • Oct. 4, 2017

In the bathroom at the back of the studio, there’s a stash of awards, including an O.B.E. from the Queen.

From The New Yorker • Mar. 28, 2016

Offered an O.B.E. by Tony Blair’s government in 2003, the poet Benjamin Zephaniah responded, “Stick it, Mr. Blair and Mrs. Queen.”

From New York Times • Jan. 27, 2012

Scarcely had it got into full swing when a proud, ascetic figure strolled slowly toward the government bench and all eyes converged on the ebony face of Alhaji Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, O.B.E.,

From Time Magazine Archive

I had a friend; a friend, and he Just held the line for you and me, And kept the Germans from the sea, And died—without the O.B.E.

From The Sunny Side by Milne, A. A. (Alan Alexander)