brother-in-law
Americannoun
plural
brothers-in-law-
the brother of one's spouse.
-
the husband of one's sister or brother.
-
the husband of one's spouse's sister or brother.
noun
-
the brother of one's wife or husband
-
the husband of one's sister
-
the husband of the sister of one's husband or wife
Etymology
Origin of brother-in-law
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English brother in law(e); 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.
"I'd always wanted to do a practical job, and my brother-in-law had just gone through the training for a train driver and said, 'why don't you try it?'."
From BBC
"It is not our obligation, but our duty," the 33-year-old, whose brother-in-law was released after more than two years in Russian detention, said.
From Barron's
He was in Belgrade with Albarn shooting the second video from “Cracker Island” when he received a call from his brother-in-law, who said that Amo had just had a stroke.
From Los Angeles Times
His mother’s sister and brother-in-law helped care for them when they could, but he likened himself to a latchkey kid because of the amount of time he and his sister spent alone.
From Los Angeles Times
My brother-in-law previously invested $30,000 to help us remodel the condo, but he isn’t listed on the title or loan.
From MarketWatch
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.
