brother-in-law

noun

broth·​er-in-law ˈbrə-t͟hər-ən-ˌlȯ How to pronounce brother-in-law (audio)
ˈbrət͟h-rən-,
ˈbrə-t͟hərn-
plural brothers-in-law ˈbrə-t͟hərz-ən- How to pronounce brother-in-law (audio)
1
: the brother of one's spouse
2
a
: the husband of one's sibling
b
: the husband of one's spouse's sibling

Examples of brother-in-law in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Family lore had it that Ruby’s brother-in-law killed his wife — Ruby’s older sister — then fled with his children to Chicago. Cindy Chang, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2024 The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star, 55, opened up about the conflict between Mauricio Umansky — who Richards is currently separated from — and her brother-in-law Rick Hilton. Liza Esquibias, Peoplemag, 20 Mar. 2024 Then, for Christmas 2020, his brother-in-law bought his family the perfect gift: a bidet. Rachel Kurzius, Washington Post, 18 Mar. 2024 Today’s Free Press Flashback explains why Queen Elizabeth’s brother-in-law was pinched while moonlighting as a photojournalist. Bill McGraw, Detroit Free Press, 17 Mar. 2024 Tanya has cut her off as well and has never met her brother-in-law or nephew. Jeanne Phillips, The Mercury News, 15 Mar. 2024 In it, Middleton’s brother-in-law writes about how he was sacrificed to the British tabloids to distract from stories that might have made his father (King Charles) or his brother (Prince William, heir apparent) look bad. Alex Cranz, The Verge, 11 Mar. 2024 Ortiz, along with his mother, sister and brother-in-law, run the truck on the back patio of the taproom. Deanna Taylor, Charlotte Observer, 8 Mar. 2024 During her first 24 hours trying to find a foothold in Albuquerque’s moody fringes, Jackie sleeps with JJ (Dave Franco), Lou’s repellent brother-in-law, for a job, and then Lou herself for reasons the film leaves deliberately vague. Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'brother-in-law.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of brother-in-law was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near brother-in-law

Cite this Entry

“Brother-in-law.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brother-in-law. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

brother-in-law

noun
broth·​er-in-law
ˈbrət͟h-(ə-)rən-ˌlȯ,
ˈbrət͟h-ərn-ˌlȯ
plural brothers-in-law
ˈbrət͟h-ər-zən-
1
: the brother of one's husband or wife
2
: the husband of one's sister

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