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British pound

British pound

4 1.2
Money used in the United Kingdom worth 100 pence
  • noun
  • /ˈbrɪtɪʃ paʊnd/
translation icon : libra esterlina
  • Many travelers prefer to exchange their money for British pounds before arriving in the UK.
  • million British pounds
  • British pound as its currency
  • cost ten thousand British pounds

If you want to trade British Pounds for EUR, click the Spectre link.

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Examples

  • You can easily find prices labeled in British pounds in every store across London.

  • For example, we know months ahead the lodging costs in British pounds but not in dollars unless purchased at the time.

    Academic text (2010)
  • For British pounds, press one.

  • I'd rather consider buying the US dollar against the British pound for a trade.

    Blog text (28)
  • They sell all of their goods to British customers in British pounds and they pay their staff in British pounds.

  • I heard from Alexandria this morning; apparently, no one there is accepting British pounds.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • If you want to trade British Pounds for EUR, click the Spectre link.

  • The swap is based on the strength of the British pound against the Swiss franc.

    Blog text (3)
  • For costs in a foreign currency such as euros or British pounds, we suggest you pay a known cost in advance since exchange rates are subject to change.

    Academic text (2010)
  • I have investments in euros, in British pounds and the Swiss francs, the manager of European portfolio and one of the O Shares ETFs.

Synonyms

pound
vsBritish pound
  • UK
220 1.0

The money used in the United Kingdom and some other countries

is limited to usage in the United Kingdom only
sterling
vsBritish pound
68 4.2

Money used in Britain, especially the pound

is the specific official unit rather than the broader currency concept
quid
vsBritish pound
  • UK
39 8.6

A British name people use for one pound

is the formal official name rather than casual speech
pound sterling
vsBritish pound
  • UK
2 3.4

The main money unit used in the United Kingdom equal to 100 pence

is the same unit but expressed with different wording in the key description
British pound sterling
vsBritish pound
2.7

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

is identical in meaning but omits the regional mention

Surface Forms

British pound singular

Morphology

British + pound

The meaning 'the official currency unit of the United Kingdom' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'British' (relating to Great Britain) with 'pound' (a currency unit). This is a straightforward compositional noun phrase common cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will understand it.

Etymology

British pound: The name British pound comes from long ago when a pound meant a pound of silver that was used to make coins or pay taxes. So, the word pound came to mean the country's 'money'.