Great Britain


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Related to Great Britain: England, United Kingdom

Great Britain

An island off the western coast of Europe comprising England, Scotland, and Wales, and constituting the largest part of the United Kingdom. It is separated from the mainland by the English Channel and from Ireland by the Irish Sea.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Great Britain

n
(Placename) England, Wales, and Scotland including those adjacent islands governed from the mainland (i.e. excluding the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands). The United Kingdom of Great Britain was formed by the Act of Union (1707), although the term Great Britain had been in use since 1603, when James VI of Scotland became James I of England (including Wales). Later unions created the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1801) and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (1922). Pop: 57 851 100 (2003 est). Area: 229 523 sq km (88 619 sq miles). See also United Kingdom
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

Great` Brit′ain


n.
an island of NW Europe, separated from the mainland by the English Channel and the North Sea: comprising England, Scotland, and Wales. 55,780,000; 88,790 sq. mi. (229,979 sq. km). Compare United Kingdom.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.Great Britain - a monarchy in northwestern Europe occupying most of the British Isles; divided into England and Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland; `Great Britain' is often used loosely to refer to the United Kingdom
balls-up, ballup, cockup, mess-up - something badly botched or muddled
clanger - a conspicuous mistake whose effects seem to reverberate; "he dropped a clanger"
clawback - finding a way to take money back from people that they were given in another way; "the Treasury will find some clawback for the extra benefits members received"
lucky dip - a selection or decision purely at random; "their system of hiring people seemed to be a sort of lucky dip"
flit - a secret move (to avoid paying debts); "they did a moonlight flit"
rustication - temporary dismissal of a student from a university
perambulation - a walk around a territory (a parish or manor or forest etc.) in order to officially assert and record its boundaries
fare-stage - a section along the route of a bus for which the fare is the same
pony-trekking - a sport in which people ride across country on ponies
rugby, rugby football, rugger - a form of football played with an oval ball
fives - a game resembling handball; played on a court with a front wall and two side walls
bar billiards, bagatelle - a table game in which short cues are used to knock balls into holes that are guarded by wooden pegs; penalties are incurred if the pegs are knocked over
tombola - a lottery in which tickets are drawn from a revolving drum
ludo - a simple board game in which players move counters according to the throw of dice
shove-halfpenny, shove-ha'penny, shovel board - a game in which coins or discs are slid by hand across a board toward a mark
lucky dip - a game in which prizes (e.g., candies or coins) are concealed in a container and for a small sum a player can draw one out at random
piss-up - vulgar expression for a bout of heavy drinking
rag - a boisterous practical joke (especially by college students)
hornpipe - a British solo dance performed by sailors
panto - an abbreviation of pantomime
doddle - an easy task
minister - the job of a head of a government department
headship - the position of headmaster or headmistress
costing - cost accounting
11-plus, eleven-plus - (formerly in Britain) an examination taken by 11 and 12 year old students to select suitable candidates for grammar school
swiz - British slang for a swindle
Ministry of Transportation test, MOT test, MOT - a compulsory annual test of older motor vehicles for safety and exhaust fumes
fire watching - (during World War II in Britain) watching for fires started by bombs that dropped from the sky
snogging - (British informal) cuddle and kiss
zizz - a nap; "Arthur's taking a short zizz"
dekko - British slang for a look
square-bashing - drill on a barracks square
rub up - a review that refreshes your memory; "I need a rub up on my Latin"
shufti - a quick look around (originally military slang); "take a shufti while you're out there"
lie-in - a long stay in bed in the morning
point duty - the control of traffic by a policeman stationed at an intersection
national assistance, social assistance, supplementary benefit - benefits paid to bring incomes up to minimum levels established by law
boot sale, car boot sale - an outdoor sale at which people sell things from the trunk of their car
invigilation - keeping watch over examination candidates to prevent cheating
aggro - (informal British usage) aggravation or aggression; "I skipped it because it was too much aggro"
punch-up - a fistfight; "the quarrel ended in a punch-up"
go-slow - a form of protest by workers in which they deliberately slow down in order to cause problem from their employers
Battle of Britain - the prolonged bombardment of British cities by the German Luftwaffe during World War II and the aerial combat that accompanied it
arterial road - a major or main route
backbench - any of the seats occupied by backbenchers in the House of Commons
bar - a heating element in an electric fire; "an electric fire with three bars"
betting shop - a licensed bookmaker's shop that is not at the race track
bin liner - a plastic bag used to line a trash or garbage bin
boot - British term for the luggage compartment in a car
bottle bank - a place where bottles can be deposited for recycling
caff - informal British term for a cafe
carriageway - one of the two sides of a motorway where traffic travels in one direction only usually in two or three lanes
clearway - a road on which you are not allowed to stop (unless you have a breakdown)
2.Great Britain - an island comprising England and Scotland and WalesGreat Britain - an island comprising England and Scotland and Wales
British Isles - Great Britain and Ireland and adjacent islands in the north Atlantic
Britain, Great Britain, U.K., UK, United Kingdom, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland - a monarchy in northwestern Europe occupying most of the British Isles; divided into England and Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland; `Great Britain' is often used loosely to refer to the United Kingdom
Scotland - one of the four countries that make up the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; located on the northern part of the island of Great Britain; famous for bagpipes and plaids and kilts
Solway Firth - a large firth on the west coast of Britain between England and Scotland
Brit, Britisher, Briton - a native or inhabitant of Great Britain
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations
Velká Británie
Storbritannien
Britio
Suurbritannia
Iso-Britannia
Velika Britanija
Bretland
グレートブリテン
영국
Britannia
BritanijaVelika Britanija
Storbritannien
ประเทศสหราชอาณาจักร
nước Anh

Great Britain

[ˌgreɪtˈbrɪtən] nGrande-Bretagne f
in Great Britain → en Grande-Bretagne
to Great Britain → en Grande-Bretagne
from Great Britain
I'm from Great Britain → Je suis britannique.
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

Great Britain

nla Gran Bretagna
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

Great Britain

بريطانيا العُظْمى Velká Británie Storbritannien Großbritannien Μεγάλη Βρετανία Gran Bretaña Iso-Britannia Grande-Bretagne Velika Britanija Gran Bretagna グレートブリテン 영국 Groot-Brittannië Storbritannia Wielka Brytania Grã-Bretanha Великобритания Storbritannien ประเทศสหราชอาณาจักร İngiltere nước Anh 英国
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
References in classic literature ?
Being rendered by her insular situation and her maritime resources impregnable to the armies of her neighbors, the rulers of Great Britain have never been able, by real or artificial dangers, to cheat the public into an extensive peace establishment.
But it may not be improper to take notice of an argument against this part of the Constitution, which has been drawn from the policy and practice of Great Britain. It is said that the continuance of an army in that kingdom requires an annual vote of the legislature; whereas the American Constitution has lengthened this critical period to two years.
The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States.
"It seems to me," rejoined the cardinal, maliciously, "that his majesty the king of Great Britain knew perfectly well of this million, but that he preferred having two millions to having one."
In 1794 or '95, a treaty with Great Britain removed the restrictions imposed upon the trade with the colonies, and opened a direct commercial intercourse between Canada and the United States.
As for the observatory at Greenwich, seconded as it was by the twenty- two astronomical establishments of Great Britain, it spoke plainly enough.
Suppose an invasion; would those three governments (if they agreed at all) be able, with all their respective forces, to operate against the enemy so effectually as the single government of Great Britain would?
This incident, as may be imagined, did much to establish the reputation of telephony in Great Britain. A wire was at once strung to Windsor Castle.
as King of Great Britain. The blast of the trumpet sounded from the balcony of the Town House, and awoke the echoes far and wide, as if to challenge all mankind to dispute King George's title.
From the extraordinary manner in which European productions have recently spread over New Zealand, and have seized on places which must have been previously occupied, we may believe, if all the animals and plants of Great Britain were set free in New Zealand, that in the course of time a multitude of British forms would become thoroughly naturalized there, and would exterminate many of the natives.
To say the truth this tragedy was not only the Best, but the only Play that we ever performed; and after having acted it all over England, and Wales, we came to Scotland to exhibit it over the remainder of Great Britain. We happened to be quartered in that very Town, where you came and met your Grandfather--.
The kingdom of Great Britain falls within the first description.

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