big sister
Americannoun
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an elder sister.
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(sometimes initial capital letters) a woman who individually or as a member of an organized group undertakes to sponsor or assist a girl in need of help or guidance.
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(sometimes initial capital letters) a young woman in the junior or senior class in college who advises a young woman in the freshman class on studies, social activities, etc., often as a part of a sorority program.
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.
She has done so without being hounded by her big sister.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 23, 2026
What she found was that the relationship went beyond business; she sees her agent as part negotiator, part therapist, part big sister.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 4, 2026
Affectionately called "big sister" by her teammates, she is leading a new generation of Japanese stars including Nakai, 17, and Chiba, 20.
From Barron's • Feb. 17, 2026
She's the big sister that I didn't ask for - but I'm so glad to have.
From BBC • Jul. 2, 2025
They smile at me like I sometimes smile at Shirley and Jimmie when their jokes aren’t funny but I have to be a good big sister and laugh anyway.
From "Betty Before X" by Ilyasah Shabazz and Renée Watson
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.
