sibling
Americannoun
-
a brother or sister.
-
Anthropology. a comember of a sib, a unilateral descent group thought to share kinship through a common ancestor.
adjective
noun
-
-
a person's brother or sister
-
( as modifier )
sibling rivalry
-
-
any fellow member of a sib
Other Word Forms
- half-sibling noun
Etymology
Origin of sibling
before 1000; late Middle English: relative, Old English; sib, -ling 1
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.
That risk increases to 10 percent if a parent or sibling is affected, and rises to 50 percent for identical twins.
From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2026
Harrison says sibling spats were the least of the pair's worries as they took on the voyage.
From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026
Another sibling in the family, Ethan, is an El Camino Real graduate pitching at Oakland University.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026
As years passed, one sibling after another left, the house becoming a little more quiet with each departure.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026
It was suggested that he start sessions with a cat psychiatrist to work out what the doctor called a case of sibling rivalry with Bunnicula.
From "Bunnicula" by Deborah Howe and James Howe
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.
