bro

noun

ˈbrō 

plural bros

1

informal : brother

… Tommy has a worldview that's larger than his baby bro's.

—Leah Rozen

2

US slang

a

: a male friend

hanging out with his bros

One quirky edge the Olympics haven't yet sanded away is the habit of extreme athletes to stick together. Like, no matter where we're from, we're all bros. That kind of thing.

—Devin Gordon et al.

b

—used as a friendly way of addressing a man or boy

Hey, bro, what's up?

Catch you later, bro.

c

: a young male who is part of a group of similar male friends stereotypically characterized as hearty, athletic, self-confident, party-loving, etc.

The recent season of "Project Greenlight," on HBO, made explicit how resistant to race talk Hollywood can be, a stifling culture of bros bonding with mirror versions of themselves.

—Emily Nussbaum

These were nerds who could pass for bros on a dorm-room sofa …

—Ben McGrath

—often used before another noun

It's the continuation of the bro culture. In my experience, in this world right now, white guys have an advantage. In their training, they've been given access and tools that I haven't. White men get behind each other and empower themselves.

—Tanya Holland

Examples of bro in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Musk and his fake officials, the DOGE tech bros, have been rummaging through our most sensitive data without authority in violation of the law for weeks now. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 21 Mar. 2025

So just how does an under 30 bro become an apostle of small business networking? Larsen grew up in Tacoma, Washington, and studied entrepreneurship at Boise State. —Brandon Kochkodin, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025

The key to locating her bro is in the Exclusion Zone, and Michelle finds a way in courtesy of scruffy ex-soldier Keats (Pratt), a black marketeer who smuggles kitschy lunchboxes and vintage firearms out of there and to his customers. —Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 14 Mar. 2025

Their infatuations are challenged by a cunning philosopher who persuades the bros to pretend they’ve been suddenly drafted and to return later in disguise to woo each other’s fiancée. —Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

by alteration

First Known Use

circa 1530, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing bro

• bro-ey

Rhymes for bro

• beau
• beaux
• blow
• boe
• coe
• crow
• doe
• doh
• dough
• eau
• eaux
• faux

Kids Definition

bro

noun

ˈbrō 

1

informal : brother sense 1

2

slang : brother sense 3