brother-in-law
Americannoun
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brothers-in-law
plural
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the brother of one's spouse.
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the husband of one's sister or brother.
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the husband of one's spouse's sister or brother.
noun
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the brother of one's wife or husband
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the husband of one's sister
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the husband of the sister of one's husband or wife
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of brother-in-law
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English brother in law(e); see origin at brother, in, law 1; from Middle English in-lawe “in law,” i.e., “a person within the regulation and protection of the law,” based on the prohibition by Roman civil law and, later, Christian canon law, of marriages within four degrees of consanguinity, i.e., up to and including first cousins
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
This would require your brother-in-law or his wife to vocalize a different desire, which would be quite bold.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026
Palmer, who co-hosts a podcast for professional pilots with his brother-in-law, a corporate pilot, said he sees “lifestyle inflation” after pilot incomes rise significantly.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
It included Trump Jr.’s brother-in-law Jared Kushner, Eric Trump — and Kremlev, an imposing man with a shaved head who speaks limited English.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026
One of those who contacted us was Pacey, who hoped to touch the metal plate at the mountain's highest point alongside her husband, sister and brother-in-law.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
His brother-in-law gave him a thousand dollars for miscellaneous traveling expenses and the money, which seemed so huge a sum when first he saw it, is evaporating faster than Salim can believe.
From "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman
During the Civil War her brother George was a surgeon at a Confederate hospital, while three half-brothers and four brothers-in-law all supported the Confederacy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 11, 2026
The two, once active in rival North Hollywood gangs, sat at a elegant desk built by Tejada’s brothers-in-law.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2024
Urfan's Pakistan-based family have taken Jhelum police to court twice, accusing them of detaining several of Urfan's brothers and brothers-in-law illegally.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2023
That’s when one of my brothers-in-law had to have surgery, to have some tumors removed in his brain.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 4, 2023
One of my brothers-in-law was a roofing foreman.
From "Farewell to Manzanar" by Jeanne Houston
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
