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British

British

129 1.3
People from Great Britain who live there or share its culture
  • noun
  • /ˈbrɪtɪʃ/
translation icon : británico
  • Even after independence, the British supported the regime through subsidies for political and economic development.
  • the British and Americans
  • the British and French
  • relations with the British

Yet the two faced nature of the British does not end there.

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Examples

  • The British are coming.

  • On August 15, 1997, it will be 50 years since the British formally relinquished control of India.

    Academic text (1999)
  • By the end of the day, the British and French were in control.

  • People can trade with us knowing that British business is clean business.

  • Not far from the village, the British built an army camp.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • But a few days later, the British had another reason to celebrate.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • The Germans know the British are the best army in the world.

  • I thought the British were great dog lovers.

  • In 1945, however, the British came to advocate a federal system for Nigeria.

    Academic text (1991)
  • The British are known for their rich history and diverse culture.

Synonyms

Brit
vsBritish
  • Informal
280 6.5

A person from Britain

is the collective national group, not a casual single-person label
Briton
vsBritish
19 3.9

A person who lives in Great Britain

is the collective national or ethnic group rather than an individual
British people
vsBritish
18 1.0

People who live in Great Britain or whose family comes from there

is the same meaning but expressed as a general collective term
Britisher
vsBritish
  • Archaic
1 8.3

A person from Great Britain

is the neutral collective term, not the formal or older label
Brits
vsBritish
  • Informal
4.4

People from Britain, like England, Scotland or Wales

is the standard collective term used in neutral contexts

Compounds

Great Britain once ruled a large empire that included colonies like India, Canada, and Australia

People who live in Great Britain or whose family comes from there

A province in western Canada between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains

A group that makes laws for the United Kingdom with two parts, Commons and Lords

A group of islands off north-west Europe that includes Great Britain and Ireland

Money used in the United Kingdom worth 100 pence

A group of independent countries that were once ruled by Britain and share ties to the British Crown

1 2.0

English used in the United Kingdom with different spelling and words

The elected part of the United Kingdom Parliament that makes and approves laws

British Crown
  • Formal
1 6.1

The power of the British king or queen that the government uses

A major political party in the United Kingdom that supports workers and social justice

1 4.8

A system of measures like the foot and pound used in Britain

A group of senior government ministers in the UK who make important decisions

A former British colony in the north of South America now called Guyana

1 3.2

The way English words are written in the United Kingdom and other countries, often different from American spelling

British thermal unit
  • Specialized
1 6.8

A unit of heat equal to the heat needed to raise one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit

A British TV show where amateur bakers compete in weekly baking challenges

A former area of eastern Africa ruled by Britain from the late 1800s to the mid 1900s

8.2

A British way of thinking that says people learn from experience and the senses

The usual spelling and rules used in the UK and many Commonwealth countries, different from American spelling

The way words are spelled in the United Kingdom, for example colour and theatre

The old name for Belize before independence in 1981

A system of measuring distance, weight, and liquid once used in Britain using feet, pounds, and pints

A unit of money used in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland equal to 100 pence

9.9

An old British coin worth one twentieth of a pound used before 1971

A group of islands in the Caribbean Sea that are a British territory with beaches and towns

4.6

A place where people register companies and trusts for tax and financial services

British West Africa
  • Literature
7.3

A group of British colonies in western Africa during colonial times

British West Indies
  • Literature
4.2

Islands in the Caribbean that were once colonies of Britain

Surface Forms

British singular
British plural

Morphology

British = British (transparent) = Britain + ish

The noun is a standard conversion from the adjective 'British' to mean the people of Britain collectively.

Etymology

British as a noun comes from the old name Briton, from a word that some say meant 'painted people' because early inhabitants painted their bodies. So, British today means the people of Great Britain.