brother
a male offspring having both parents in common with another offspring; a male sibling.
Also called half brother. a male offspring having only one parent in common with another offspring.
a stepbrother.
a male numbered among the same kinship group, nationality, ethnicity, profession, etc., as another; an associate; a fellow member, fellow countryman, fellow man, etc.: a fraternity brother.
Ecclesiastical.
(often initial capital letter) a male numbered among the lay members of a religious organization that has a priesthood.
a man who devotes himself to the duties of a religious order without taking holy orders, or while preparing for holy orders.
brothers, all members of a particular racial or ethnic group, or of the human race in general: All men are brothers.
Informal. a term used to refer to or address a fellow Black man; soul brother.
Slang. (used to express disappointment, disgust, or surprise.)
Origin of brother
1synonym study For brother
Other words from brother
- broth·er·less, adjective
- broth·er·like, adjective
Words Nearby brother
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use brother in a sentence
These are the fathers, husbands, sons and brothers of the communities that these elected leaders are claiming to save.
While We’re Rethinking Policing, It’s Time to End Gang Injunctions | Jamie Wilson | September 15, 2020 | Voice of San DiegoThe third generation owner of Shenanigans has had both her father and brother die of the virus.
Right before Beethoven composed the Fifth Symphony, he wrote to his brothers that his oncoming deafness had “brought me to the verge of despair.”
Beethoven’s 5th Symphony is a lesson in finding hope in adversity | Charlie Harding | September 11, 2020 | VoxA hospice nurse checked in on Johnson the first two days she was home, said Lavalais and his brother, Michael.
Tuesday passed, and just as I was beginning to accept that the meeting wouldn’t happen, I got a text from Yves Guillemot, Ubisoft’s CEO and one of the founding brothers of the company, telling me when and where to meet him tomorrow.
‘The Dream Architects’: Inside the making of gaming’s biggest franchises | Rachel King | September 1, 2020 | Fortune
I did love him like a big brother, and miss him all the time.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile | Robert Ward | January 3, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTHe knew I loved him like a big brother, and I knew the feeling was mutual.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile | Robert Ward | January 3, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTThe brother of a girl who made her debut in New Orleans society was shaking his fists in excitement.
Among the other graduates was Officer Kevin Lynch, brother and son of police officers.
A 2008 Pakistani raid near Turbat turned up Abdolhamid Rigi, the brother of Abdelmalek Rigi.
The Dangerous Drug-Funded Secret War Between Iran and Pakistan | Umar Farooq | December 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAfter her marriage to Eugène Manet she came under the influence of his famous brother, Édouard.
Women in the fine arts, from the Seventh Century B.C. to the Twentieth Century A.D. | Clara Erskine ClementAgain, she was present at the battle of Silan, where her heroic example of courage infused new life into her brother rebels.
The Philippine Islands | John ForemanFather, mother, sister, and brother all played and worked together with rare combination of sympathetic gifts.
Kipling Stories and Poems Every Child Should Know, Book II | Rudyard KiplingVictor was the younger son and brother—a tete montee, with a temper which invited violence and a will which no ax could break.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories | Kate ChopinIt was father against son, brother against brother, neighbor against neighbor.
The Courier of the Ozarks | Byron A. Dunn
British Dictionary definitions for brother
/ (ˈbrʌðə) /
a male person having the same parents as another person
short for half-brother, stepbrother
a male person belonging to the same group, profession, nationality, trade union, etc, as another or others; fellow member
(as modifier): brother workers
comrade; friend: used as a form of address
Christianity : Related adjective: fraternal
a member of a male religious order who undertakes work for the order without actually being in holy orders
a lay member of a male religious order
slang an exclamation of amazement, disgust, surprise, disappointment, etc
Origin of brother
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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