Meaning & use
Great Britain
Last updated
Meanings
proper nounproper
The large island in northwest Europe that contains England, Scotland and Wales.
Grammar: Always capitalized and used without an article: in Great Britain.
Patterns
- travel across Great Britain
- in Great Britain
Great Britain is the largest island in Europe.
We drove from the south coast to the north of Great Britain in two days.
Great Britain is divided into three nations.
proper nounproper
The political union of England, Scotland and Wales, often used loosely to mean the United Kingdom.
Grammar: Takes a singular verb: Great Britain has a long history.
Patterns
- represent Great Britain
- Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Great Britain sent a large team to the Olympics.
She is a citizen of Great Britain.
The treaty united Great Britain under one parliament.
Common combinations
- the island of Great Britain
- The island of Great Britain is mostly hilly in the north.
- Team GB
- Great Britain's athletes competed as Team GB.
- across Great Britain
- Rain is expected across Great Britain tomorrow.
- Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is its full name.
- the history of Great Britain
- The history of Great Britain includes many invasions.
Synonyms and how they differ
- Britain
- Britain is the everyday short form and is usually used the same way as Great Britain.
- the United Kingdom
- The United Kingdom also includes Northern Ireland, so it is wider than Great Britain.
- the UK
- The UK is the abbreviation of the United Kingdom, again including Northern Ireland.
Word family
Commonly confused: Great Britain or England? Great Britain or United Kingdom?
Great Britain vs England
England is only one part of Great Britain, so not everyone from Great Britain is English.
Great Britain vs United Kingdom
The United Kingdom includes Northern Ireland, which is not part of Great Britain.
Practice
Which country is part of the United Kingdom but not part of Great Britain?
Choose one answer.
Great Britain means England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland is in the UK but is not on the island of Great Britain.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “Great Britain”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.