United Kingdom

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noun

a kingdom in NW Europe, consisting of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: formerly comprising Great Britain and Ireland 1801–1922. 94,242 sq. mi. (244,100 sq. km). Capital: London. Abbreviation: U.K.

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THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

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In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

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candypuff

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Official name United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Words nearby United Kingdom

United Church of Canada, United Church of Christ, United Community Funds and Councils of America, United Empire Loyalist, united front, United Kingdom, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United Kingdom Overseas Territory, United Kingdom Unionists, United Methodist Church, United Nations

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use United Kingdom in a sentence

In Bryant’s United Kingdom, 83 percent of the public viewed America positively in 2000, when a departing Bill Clinton was inspiring the premiership of Tony Blair.
A modern-day historian writes the timeline of American decline|Jacob S. Hacker|April 2, 2021|Washington Post
Privacy advocates support the move, but antitrust officials in the United States and United Kingdom have said it could quash competition.
Big tech CEOs face lawmakers in House hearing on social media’s role in extremism, misinformation|Gerrit De Vynck, Cat Zakrzewski, Elizabeth Dwoskin, Rachel Lerman|March 25, 2021|Washington Post
Lawmakers gathered a day after Hogan announced that two residents in Anne Arundel County were diagnosed with the Washington region’s first cases of the more contagious United Kingdom variant of the virus.
Maryland lawmakers return to Annapolis for start of unusual 90-day session|Ovetta Wiggins, Erin Cox|January 13, 2021|Washington Post
The United Kingdom clears Pfizer’s vaccine for emergency use.
This COVID-19 pandemic timeline shows how fast the coronavirus took over our lives|Science News Staff|December 11, 2020|Science News

To help schools and other groups set science-based standards, I and other cardiologists from the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Australia reviewed emerging data.
Teen athletes with even mild COVID-19 can develop heart problems|Partho Sengupta|November 18, 2020|Science News For Students
A variety of systems were in place across countries like the United Kingdom, France, and Australia.
Propaganda, Protest, and Poisonous Vipers: The Cinema War in Korea|Rich Goldstein|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Fuming Iranian officials blamed the United States and United Kingdom for backing the militants, and Pakistan for inaction.
The Dangerous Drug-Funded Secret War Between Iran and Pakistan|Umar Farooq|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But there were two designations that seemed anachronisms to me: -- Spain and the United Kingdom among the beer swillers.
Beer Countries vs. Wine Countries|Clive Irving|December 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In your new book, you wrote your father wanted to move to the United States from the United Kingdom because of one word.
How Aasif Mandvi Became Jon Stewart’s Favorite Jihadi|Dean Obeidallah|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But when you are a princess of the United Kingdom, taking time off from fashion is not really an option.
Kate Middleton, the Preggers Fashion Princess|Tom Sykes|November 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was on an occasion of great importance, when all the principal companies of the United Kingdom were present.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland|Joseph Tatlow
Opened as far back as 1834, it was amongst the earliest of the railway lines of the whole United Kingdom.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland|Joseph Tatlow
They, too, held meetings, and formed agricultural protection societies in every part of the United Kingdom.
The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.III.|E. Farr and E. H. Nolan
In the modern sense of extension beyond the limits of the United Kingdom the growth of the empire is of comparatively Growth.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3|Various
The Irish Celts built no cities, promoted no agriculture, and never coalesced so as to form even the nucleus of a united kingdom.
Is Ulster Right?|Anonymous

British Dictionary definitions for United Kingdom

United Kingdom

noun

a kingdom of NW Europe, consisting chiefly of the island of Great Britain together with Northern Ireland: became the world's leading colonial power in the 18th century; the first country to undergo the Industrial Revolution. It became the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in 1921, after the rest of Ireland became autonomous as the Irish Free State. Primarily it is a trading nation, the chief exports being manufactured goods; joined the Common Market (now the European Union) in January 1973. Official language: English; Gaelic, Welsh, and other minority languages. Religion: Christian majority. Currency: pound sterling. Capital: London. Pop: 63 395 574 (2013 est). Area: 244 110 sq km (94 251 sq miles)Abbreviation: UK See also Great Britain

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

Cultural definitions for United Kingdom

United Kingdom

Part of the official name of the British nation; the full name is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It includes England, Scotland, Wales, and six counties of Ireland, ruled by the king or queen of England, and represented in the nation's parliament.