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Glite Dictionary
brolly

brolly

1 9.5
A British informal word for an umbrella
  • noun
  • /ˈbrɒli/
  • UK
translation icon : paraguas
  • He opened his brolly just in time to shield himself from the sudden downpour.

Examples

  • Mr. Santayana, having emerged brolly first, popping it open, paid the driver, tipping him with American generosity.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • She glanced down at her floral brolly and wondered what on earth he was talking about.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • And not just any brolly.

    Paddington in Peru (2024)

  • Excuse me guys, you need a brolly or excuse me, brollies.

  • He was staring at her extended brolly.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • It was a perfectly ordinary brolly, and she couldn't imagine why he seemed so mesmerized by it.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • Coats, brollies, wellies, blah, blah, blah.

    Men (2022)

  • A stately and superbly British butler took Santayana's brolly, derby, and coat with the hint of an indulgent, approving smile.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • I forgot to take my brolly with me, and now I'm soaked from the rain.

  • During the storm, many people hurriedly took out their brollys to stay dry.

Synonyms

umbrella
vsbrolly
130 1.0

A stick with a cloth top people open to keep rain or sun off them

is the informal British name used instead of the neutral object term
bumbershoot
vsbrolly
  • Archaic
2 9.9

An old or funny word for umbrella

is the informal British name used commonly in everyday speech
gamp
vsbrolly
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A big umbrella that is often hard to carry

is the informal British general name not focused on size or clumsiness
ombrellino
vsbrolly
9.9

A small umbrella you hold to protect from rain or sun

is the informal British name not limited to small portable sizes

How Protective

brolly
  • UK
1 9.5
parasol
10 3.3

Surface Forms

brolly singular
brollies plural

Morphology

brolly = umbrella (transparent) = brol + y

Informal clipped/diminutive form of 'umbrella' with a clear loss of some syllables and the addition of -y; the meaning is directly the same as 'umbrella'.

Etymology

The word brolly is a friendly British short form of umbrella: people clipped the middle of the word and added the little ending -y, like in telly for 'television'. So, a brolly is an informal, everyday name for an umbrella used in British English.