sister-in-law
Americannoun
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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:
Her sister-in-law, Millicent Sedra, also spoke and scolded women who expect husbands to share housework.
From Salon ● Jun. 12, 2026
Kym and sister-in-law Kirsten Swanson McGillicuddy, flew out to join the search but it was put on hold due to treacherous weather conditions.
From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026
Standing “square in the doorway like a nightclub bouncer,” Lindsay’s sister-in-law says, “I’m sorry we haven’t got space for you to stay here long term.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026
Accepting the award, Giuffre's sister-in-law Amanda Roberts said the book was "a true testament to what a survivor's voice can do when finally given the space to be heard".
From BBC ● May 11, 2026
She arranged for Etty to come home as soon as possible and for their sister-in-law Fanny to go to Malvern and help Charles.
From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman
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
I saw my wife and one of my sisters-in-law being swept away, followed by my elder brother.
From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2023
Stuck, uncomfortably, in the middle, is Sasha, the middle-class New England girl who has married their brother, Cord, and, despite all signs to the contrary, is referred to as “the Gold Digger” by her sisters-in-law.
From New York Times ● Feb. 26, 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.
