sister-in-law
Americannoun
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sisters-in-law
plural
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the sister of one's spouse.
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the wife of one's brother or sister.
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the wife of one's spouse's sister or brother.
noun
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the sister of one's husband or wife
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the wife of one's brother
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of sister-in-law
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English syster in lawe; see origin at sister, 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:
I’ve become really close with my sister-in-law, and almost every Sunday, we meet for what we call “tea time.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
My sister-in-law had become close to a new friend — her tenant — and had decided this person would be a better choice.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026
He said his niece was a "very, very good person" and his sister-in-law was "a very helpful person".
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
When they caught wind of the mysterious suitor, Danielle’s mom, sister and sister-in-law each found his LinkedIn page.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
There’s a very real possibility the most perfect Muslim girl on the planet may become my future sister-in-law.
From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali
BBC Urdu's Tarhub Asghar met two sisters-in-law, both nine months pregnant.
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2025
She exchanged postcards with former sisters-in-law and her first husband’s second wife.
From Salon ● Feb. 9, 2025
Soboroff had a sobering message for one of two sisters-in-law who were also at the house: “I think we gotta go.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 8, 2025
Moreno's wife, one of their daughters, two of his brothers and two sisters-in-law are also among those allegedly connected to the case, Salazar said.
From Reuters ● Feb. 22, 2023
Patti starts pointing out faces and naming my father's cousins and their sisters and sisters-in-law and brothers and brothers-in-law.
From "Born Behind Bars" by Padma Venkatraman
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.
