brother-in-law

noun

broth·​er-in-law ˈbrə-t͟hər-ən-ˌlȯ 

ˈbrət͟h-rən-,

ˈbrə-t͟hərn-

plural brothers-in-law ˈbrə-t͟hərz-ən- 

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

After the send-off, Samantha Miller and Hutchinson, along with his nephew and brother-in-law, climbed into a golf cart to go to their rental property for the night. —Praveena Somasundaram, Washington Post, 23 June 2024

Barrel Brothers Brewing Barrel Brothers Brewing was founded in 2015 by brothers-in-law Don Weber and Wesley Deal, wine industry insiders who had started homebrewing in a garage. —Jay R. Brooks, The Mercury News, 19 June 2024

During this 172-day siege, King Henry III’s troops attacked the rebel forces loyal to his brother-in-law. —Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 18 June 2024

In Europe, brother-in-law Richard introduced them to Polanski. —Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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 spouse

2

: the husband of one's sibling or of one's spouse's sibling