brother

[ bruhth-er or, for 9, bruhth-ur ]

See synonyms for: brother brethren brothers on Thesaurus.com

noun,plural brothers, (Archaic) brethren.

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.
Slang. fellow; buddy: Brother, can you spare a dime?
Informal. a term used to refer to or address a fellow Black man; soul brother.

interjection

Slang. (used to express disappointment, disgust, or surprise.)

Origin of brother

First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English brōthor; cognate with Dutch broeder, German Bruder,Old Norse brōthir, Gothic brothar, Sanskrit bhrātṛ, Greek phrā́tēr, Latin frāter, Old Irish bráthair, Old Church Slavonic bratrŭ

synonym study For brother

1. Brothers, brethren are plurals of brother. Brothers are kinsmen, sons of the same parents: My mother lives with my brothers. Brethren, now archaic in the foregoing sense, is used of male members of a congregation or of a fraternal organization: The brethren will meet at the church.

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 Diego
The third generation owner of Shenanigans has had both her father and brother die of the virus.
The Last Bar Standing? | Eugene Robinson | September 15, 2020 | Ozy
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 | Vox
A hospice nurse checked in on Johnson the first two days she was home, said Lavalais and his brother, Michael.
Sent Home to Die | by Annie Waldman and Joshua Kaplan | September 2, 2020 | ProPublica
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 BEAST
He 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 BEAST
The brother of a girl who made her debut in New Orleans society was shaking his fists in excitement.
The Louisiana Racists Who Courted Steve Scalise | Jason Berry | January 3, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
Among the other graduates was Officer Kevin Lynch, brother and son of police officers.
Cop Families Boo De Blasio at NYPD Graduation | Michael Daly | December 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
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 BEAST
After 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 Clement
Again, 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 Foreman
Father, 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 Kipling
Victor 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 Chopin
It was father against son, brother against brother, neighbor against neighbor.
The Courier of the Ozarks | Byron A. Dunn

British Dictionary definitions for brother

brother

/ (ˈbrʌðə) /

nounplural brothers or archaic except when referring to fellow members of a religion, sect, society, etc brethren

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

interjection

slang an exclamation of amazement, disgust, surprise, disappointment, etc

Origin of brother

Old English brōthor; related to Old Norse brōthir, Old High German bruoder, Latin frāter, Greek phratēr, Sanskrit bhrātar

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

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