half brother

noun

1. brother ( def 2 ).

half-brother

noun

1. the son of either of one's parents by another partner

Word History and Origins

Origin of half brother¹

Middle English word dating back to 1300–50

Example Sentences

In the year 1030 Harald was 15 years old when he joined his much older half brother Olaf, the deposed king of Norway, in the latter’s attempt to regain his throne.

From Washington Post

It’s the story of a 16-year-old orphan named Portia who has been thrust upon her much older half brother, Thomas, and his brittle, devious wife, Anna, a woman well provided with gentleman admirers.

From Washington Post

Nina Straight says her half-brother was “a physical coward but not scared of death.”

From The Daily Beast

Cristian Fernandez faces life in prison for allegedly killing his 2-year-old half-brother.

From The Daily Beast

Abdullah elevated its former chief, and his half-brother, Prince Muqrin, to a senior-adviser job.

From The Daily Beast

My stepfather never really accepted me and always treated me differently from my half-brother.

From The Daily Beast

His half-brother, Ahmed Wali, was gunned down last July by one of his security guards.

From The Daily Beast

His half-brother, Howroyd, gives twice as much, with not a quarter his money.

From Project Gutenberg

The detective in the case told me that they had an older half brother—that their mother had been married before.

From Project Gutenberg

The entertainment of a new and unsuspected half brother—sinister, hey?

From Project Gutenberg

In this and the four following strophes the person alluded to is their half-brother Erp, of whose story nothing more is known.

From Project Gutenberg

I knew perfectly well who you were, whence you came, and what your father's half-brother had done.'

From Project Gutenberg

More About Half Brother

What does half brother mean?

A half brother is a brother who is related to his sibling(s) through only one parent.

This typically means that they share only one biological parent (not both). For example, when a person’s parent has a son with another partner (who is not the person’s parent), the son is considered the person’s half brother.

The term half sister is used in the same way. Half-sibling is a gender-neutral way of saying the same thing.

In contrast, the words stepbrother, stepsister, and stepsibling refer to those who have a sibling relationship (often based on the remarriage of their parents to other partners) but who do not share a biological parent.

The word half in half brother and its related terms only refers to the biological relationship. Half brothers may have close relationships with their siblings, and many people simply call their half brother their brother.

Modifiers such as maternal and paternal are sometimes used to specify which biological parent the siblings have in common.

Example: Over the holidays, I got together with my maternal half brother and my paternal half sister and we had a great time.

Where does half brother come from?

The first records of the term half brother come from around the 1300s. The word half refers to the fact that a half brother shares one biological parent with a sibling, not two. Still, half brothers are considered blood relatives.

It’s not uncommon for people to have a half-sibling. This always involves one’s parent having a child with another partner. Circumstances vary, but such situations often involve the death of a parent, a separation, or a divorce.

Did you know ... ?

What are some synonyms for half brother?

• half-sibling
• brother
• sibling

What are some words that share a root or word element with half brother? 

 

• half
• brother
• half sister
• stepbrother

What are some words that often get used in discussing half brother?

 

• share
• biological parent
• parent
• related
• blood
• family
• marriage
• divorce
• birth
• maternal
• paternal

What are some words half brother may be commonly confused with?

 

• stepbrother

 

How is half brother used in real life?

People use terms like half brother and half sister to specify how siblings are related. A lot of people simply call their half brother their brother.

does anyone else with a half sibling hate the term half sibling or is it really just me. like it won’t ever feel right for me to call my brother my half brother

— harriet 📌 (@feministluthor) November 11, 2020

I call my half brother’s half sister my sister because my dad raised her with us https://t.co/1QXIzyG5SH

— 👸🏻 (@lilstringbeans) February 28, 2019

Kinda wild thinking how I was like 38 and my mom was like hey so I had a secret baby with your most hated classmates’ dad years before you were born and he’s your half brother, he’s coming to visit in a few days.

— RustBeltRants (@rustbeltrants) November 15, 2020

 

Try using half brother!

True or False? 

If a person’s mother and father got divorced and each had a son with another spouse, both of the sons would be considered this person’s half brothers.