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Britain

[ brit-n ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

Britain

/ ˈ��ɪ��ə�� /

noun

another name for Great Britain United Kingdom

Britain

Officially the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland , located on the British Isles off the western coast of the mainland ( continent ) of Europe . It comprises England , Wales , and Scotland on the island of Great Britain , and Northern Ireland on the island of Ireland . Its capital and largest city is London .

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Notes

It is one of the world's leading industrialized nations.

Most of the settlers of the American colonies were British. The colonies remained under the British crown until the American Revolutionary War .

Britain declared war on Germany in 1939. Allied with the United States and the Soviet Union , the British, under the leadership of Winston Churchill , played an important role in defeating Germany.

At the height of its imperial power in the late nineteenth century, Britain boasted colonies and possessions around the globe. ( See British Empire .)

A constitutional monarchy , Britain's government calls for the hereditary king or queen to perform mostly ceremonial functions. Parliament governs the country.

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How does Britain compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

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Example Sentences

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This week, BBC Three's Glow Up returns, with a new set of artists competing to become Britain's next make-up star.

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A Reform UK spokesman said the party had "no intention of forming coalitions or pacts with the Tories", saying they "broke Britain".

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She added that the guidance put trans people at risk of discrimination, especially in workplaces, and "seems to fly in face of the strong tradition of tolerance we have in Britain".

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BBC Verify found this week that the average waiting time across the 319 driving test centres in Great Britain was 22 weeks, with three-quarters of centres hitting the maximum average wait time of 24 weeks.

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Three quarters of the 319 driving test centres across Great Britain have hit the maximum average waiting time of 24 weeks to book a practical test, the BBC has found.

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