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Synonyms

bro

1 American  
[broh, bruh] / broʊ, brʌ /
Sometimes bruh

noun

plural

bros

  1. a brother.

  2. a guy or fellow: used as a term of address.

  3. a male friend or buddy.

  4. a fellow Black male; soul brother.

  5. a young, usually white male variously and often negatively characterized as being preppy, party-loving, egotistical, sexist, etc.

adjective

  1. of or relating to bros.

    the bro culture of college athletics.
bro. 2 American  
Or Bro.

abbreviation

plural

bros, Bros

  1. brother.

bro 1 British  
/ brəʊ /

noun

  1. a family member

  2. a close associate

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
bro 2 British  
/ bruː /

noun

  1. informal a friend, often used in direct address

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
bro. 3 British  
/ brəʊ /

abbreviation

  1. brother

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • broish adjective

Etymology

Origin of bro

First recorded in 1830–40; reduced form of brother

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.

Silicon Valley’s success and mythmaking long ago transformed the once-ridiculed computer nerd into the cool tech bro.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 4, 2026

“I’m like ‘Puka, bro, I miss this energy.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 12, 2026

Tech bro rivalry is real -- or at least it is for Sam Altman and Dario Amodei, the CEOs of two leading US artificial intelligence startups, OpenAI and Anthropic.

From Barron's • Feb. 19, 2026

"I'm not even playing that much dominoes, and that is killing me, bro," he said.

From BBC • Feb. 5, 2026

When we finally get into Santa Cruz we park downtown, walk to the beach with all our stuff, and my bro Diego goes: “Wherever you want, Guelly. Your pick, little bro.”

From "We Were Here" by Matt De La Peña

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.