big brother
noun
an elder brother.
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big brother
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Big Brother
Big Brothernouna person, organization, etc, that exercises total dictatorial control
big brother
Americannoun
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an elder brother.
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(sometimes initial capital letters) a man who individually or as a member of an organized group undertakes to sponsor or assist a boy in need of help or guidance.
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(usually initial capital letters) the head of a totalitarian regime that keeps its citizens under close surveillance.
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(usually initial capital letters) the aggregate of officials and policy makers of a powerful and pervasive state.
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Citizens Band Radio Slang. a police officer or police car.
Big Brother
British
noun
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a person, organization, etc, that exercises total dictatorial control
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a television gameshow format in which a small number of people living in accommodation sealed off from the outside world are constantly monitored by TV cameras. Viewers vote each week to expel a person from the group until there is only one person left, who wins a cash prize
Usage
What does Big Brother mean? A big brother can be an older male, related or not, who protects a younger person. Big Brother (usually uppercase) also refers to an omnipresent, usually governmental authority that monitors everyone's every move. How is Big Brother pronounced?[ big bruhth-er ]
Etymology
Origin of big brother
1860–65; 1949 big brother for defs. 3, 4, the epithet of a dictator in G. Orwell's novel 1984
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:
But playing big brother to his teammates, has been a joyous subplot.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2026
Luckily his big brother, still only 19 himself, appeared to spot it and was seen smiling up at him from the pitch.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
“I’ve seen him grow up; he’s seen me grow up. He’s my big brother in everything I do creatively and also in real life,” Stillz says about his bond with Bad Bunny.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
At other times, Jeremy is sweet and docile, playing the big brother role with no difficulty.
From Salon ● May 25, 2026
I was hoping Spoony would do some kind of big brother ESP thing and say it for me.
From "All American Boys" by Jason Reynolds
After leaving Parliament she embarked on a showbiz career, appearing on Strictly Come Dancing in 2010 and Celebrity Big Brother in 2018.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
Her Strictly appearance was however to turn her into a reality TV star, when she joined such shows as "Celebrity Big Brother".
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026
Kohli - who appeared on celebrity versions of Big Brother and Masterchef - denied a total of 20 charges via his legal team during a hearing at the High Court in Glasgow.
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
Civil liberties campaigning group Big Brother Watch slammed the live facial recognition expansion as an "alarming escalation of an intrusive technology".
From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026
Oceanic society rests ultimately on the belief that Big Brother is omnipotent and that the Party is infallible.
From "1984" by George Orwell
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.
