brother-in-law
Americannoun
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brothers-in-law
plural
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the brother of one's spouse.
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the husband of one's sister or brother.
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the husband of one's spouse's sister or brother.
noun
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the brother of one's wife or husband
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the husband of one's sister
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the husband of the sister of one's husband or wife
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of brother-in-law
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English brother in law(e); see origin at brother, in, law 1; from Middle English in-lawe “in law,” i.e., “a person within the regulation and protection of the law,” based on the prohibition by Roman civil law and, later, Christian canon law, of marriages within four degrees of consanguinity, i.e., up to and including first cousins
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:
“One of Us” is about your brother-in-law, which made me realize how few people write songs about their in-laws.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
The project’s masonry contractor was a firm called Acranom, whose vice president, John Duffy, was Diamantis’s former brother-in-law and called him “Uncle.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
When Min came down with Stage 4 colorectal cancer a few years ago, his sister and brother-in-law were a constant presence at his side.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026
If it states that the property must be equally distributed to multiple beneficiaries, your brother-in-law legally might have no right to deny selling you this property.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026
“I’d come home at midnight and try to talk to my brother-in-law about our children’s future,” said Ben.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
During the Civil War her brother George was a surgeon at a Confederate hospital, while three half-brothers and four brothers-in-law all supported the Confederacy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 11, 2026
The two, once active in rival North Hollywood gangs, sat at a elegant desk built by Tejada’s brothers-in-law.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2024
Urfan's Pakistan-based family have taken Jhelum police to court twice, accusing them of detaining several of Urfan's brothers and brothers-in-law illegally.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2023
While he was incarcerated, Theodora divorced him; she and their seven kids moved in with one of his brothers-in-law.
From Salon ● Feb. 28, 2023
If your better half has two brothers, are they your brothers-in-law or your brother-in-laws!
From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner
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.
