| Word | British English meanings | Meanings common to British and American English | American English meanings |
|---|---|---|---|
| accommodation | housing ("residential accommodation") | something supplied; a compromise; a loan see also accommodation (eye); lodging (as for travellers) but often used in the plural in US for this meaning |
(esp. in the past) a local public conveyance, esp. a train see also accommodation (law) |
| accumulator | rechargeable battery (archaic) a type of bet (US: parlay) |
one that accumulates, as a type of computer processor register or a hydraulic accumulator | |
| ace | good, excellent (1980s slang) |
a one in a suit of playing cards someone who is very good at something fighter pilot who has shot down a certain number of enemy aircraft |
(v.) to perform outstandingly *; esp., to achieve an "A" (on a school exam) the best starting pitcher in a rotation on a baseball team |
| advocate (n.) | Scottish also Jersey, Channel Islands lawyer who appears in higher courts (rest of UK: barrister) | someone who supports and/or speaks for a particular position generic term for a lawyer (v.) to recommend or support |
|
| aerial | (n.) a radio antenna to transmit or receive electromagnetic waves (US: antenna) | (adj.) of, in or from the air, as in aerial photography, a dance move in Lindy Hop, and a front aerial in acro dance a type of skateboarding trick |
|
| air marshal | a senior air force officer (equivalent to an Army general or Navy admiral) | an undercover law enforcement officer on board a commercial aircraft, also known as a sky marshal | |
| à la mode | fashionable | with ice cream | |
| alternate | (adj.) done or occurring by turns; every second, every other ("on alternate weeks") (n.) one that alternates with another |
(adj.) constituting an alternative, offering a choice (UK usu. & US also alternative) ("use alternate routes") "alternative", unconventional ("alternate lifestyles") (n.) an alternative *; a substitute |
|
| amber | traffic light of this colour (US: yellow light) | orange-yellow colour fossilised resin; a material used in the construction of some tobacco pipes, female given name; (sealed in amber) state of being oblivious to changing circumstances |
|
| anaesthetist (UK), anesthetist (US) | physician trained to administer anaesthesia (US: anesthesiologist) | nurse or technician trained to administer anaesthesia | |
| anchor | (1) a position in a tug-of-war team (2) device for mooring ships by providing a firm fix to the seabed anchorman/anchorwoman, the last member of a relay team to compete |
a type of radio or TV presenter ("a news anchor"). See news presenter for a description of the different roles of a newscaster, an American news anchor, and a British newsreader. | |
| anorak | a parka (slang) a socially awkward person obsessively interested in something (syn. US: geek, nerd; dweeb; etc.) |
hooded, rainproof outerwear that lacks a full-length zipper in the front (UK: cagoule) | |
| apartment | suite of rooms set aside for a particular person (rare) | a set of rooms in a building constituting a usu. rented housing unit *(implies luxury in UK; UK usu. flat) – cf. s.v. condominium | |
| appropriate (v.), appropriation (n.) | to take (money) to oneself, to filch or misappropriate | to take and assign (money) (there is considerable overlap but difference of emphasis) | to dispense (money), to budget |
| Asian | originating from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh or Sri Lanka (South Asian) | originating from the continent of Asia | originating from East Asia or continental Southeast Asia |
| ass | donkey slow-witted or stupid person, often in combination (dumb-ass) |
(often vulgar) buttocks (UK: arse); also, by synecdoche, the person ("your ass is dead"); also (vulgar) anus (short for asshole) (vulgar) sex ("get some ass") (note: the American usage of ass is becoming more common in British English) also used as a suffix to add emphasis to an adjective ("He drove a big-ass truck") kick-ass: to beat up or beat, e.g. "I am going to kick his ass" or, more positively, something that beat (did better than) everything else, e.g. "The opening band was kick-ass". |
|
| athlete | one who participates in running, throwing, and jumping competitions | one who participates in sports in general | |
| athletics | running, throwing, and jumping competitions (US: track and field) | sport in general | |
| attorney | an agent or representative authorised to act on someone else's behalf ("attorney-in-fact", "power of attorney") (Attorney General) main legal advisor to the government |
(or attorney-at-law) a lawyer (UK: barrister (England, Northern Ireland, Wales)/advocate (Scotland) or solicitor, depending on the actual profession) (District attorney, prosecuting attorney) local public official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminals (archaic in Br. Eng. for lawyer) |
|
| aubergine | the plant Solanum melongena (US: eggplant) | an eggplant-like colour (US also: eggplant) | |
| awesome | inspiring awe, spectacular | great, "cool" * (largely used in the 1980s, recently revived; can have various connotations depending on context – compare UK brilliant) |
A - List of words having different meanings in British and American English
A
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