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:
I suspect they are terrible for privacy, and I dread what the future brings with some big brother company knowing all my intimate health info but I am still grateful for how much they help.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
Of course, if Bailen ever drops a pass, big brother might give him a nasty look.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 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
Patricia McLure, one of Anthony Littler's few surviving close relatives, holds a photograph of the cousin who was "like a big brother"
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
Emma was gawking at her big brother as if he were a freak.
From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein
Collins and El Mayer struck up a relationship after entering the Big Brother house but concerns about his alleged "toxic" behaviour had grown among fans.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
Tom and Charles took in the 1960s counterculture in the city, going to see bands like the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, and Big Brother and the Holding Company.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
"It's like Big Brother for cats", she says of the 72 cameras being used to watch over the animals in their enclosures.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
Now 18, Charlotte is a contestant in the latest series of Big Brother, something she has dreamed about for most of her life.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
It appeared that there had even been demonstrations to thank Big Brother for raising the chocolate ration to twenty grams a week.
From "1984" by George Orwell
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
