Word
westminster
Phoneticswest·min·ster
/ˌwɛstˈmɪnstɝ/
Definitions
01the British parliament
n. the UK parliament or the people who work in British politics.
n. the British parliament, used metonymically to refer to the legislative body or the political establishment in the United Kingdom.
“The news today is focused on the latest decisions coming out of Westminster.”
“Political commentators often argue that Westminster is too disconnected from the daily lives of people living in the north of England.”
British English
Usage
Often used without an article when referring to the political institution rather than the physical place.
Synonyms
02a district in London
n. a central area of London where you can find famous buildings like Big Ben.
n. a city and borough in Greater London that contains the UK's principal government offices and the Palace of Westminster.
“We spent the afternoon walking around Westminster to see the historic buildings.”
“The City of Westminster holds a unique status as it contains both the commercial heart of the West End and the administrative centre of the state.”
British English
Synonyms
03Westminster Abbey
n. a very famous and large church in London where kings and queens are crowned.
n. a large, mainly Gothic abbey church in the City of Westminster, officially titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster.
“Many famous writers and scientists are buried inside Westminster.”
“The royal wedding was held at Westminster, attracting thousands of spectators to the surrounding streets.”
British English · Formal
Synonyms
Real-World Examples
“The men will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court for a first hearing on 26 August.” “He lived in Kearsley, north-west of Manchester, working as a power station charge engineer from 1960 to 1982 and, for the last year before his election to Westminster, as a personnel officer.” “Josh Nicholson, a researcher at the Centre for Social Justice think tank, says, "Chaos and flux in Westminster are reflected in our High Streets.” Etymology
From the abbey of Westminster; from Middle English Westmynster, from Old English Westmynster; equivalent to west + minster.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/westminster