big brother

noun

1
: an older brother
2
: a man who serves as a companion, father figure, and role model for a boy
3
Big Brother [Big Brother, personification of the power of the state in 1984 (1949) by George Orwell]
a
: the leader of an authoritarian state or movement
b
: an all-powerful government or organization monitoring and directing people's actions

Examples of big brother in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Its accelerated path toward Europe has been spurred by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which shattered many Moldovans’ image of Russia as a benign big brother and created a determination in Brussels to prevent Moscow making further political inroads into formerly Communist states. Christian Edwards, CNN, 21 Oct. 2024 Who won part 1 of the final Head of Household competition on 'Big Brother'? Chelsie Baham won part one of the final HOH competition. David Wysong, USA TODAY, 14 Oct. 2024 Who won Part 1 of HOH on 'Big Brother'? Chelsie Baham won Part 1 of the Final HOH. Dina Kaur, The Arizona Republic, 13 Oct. 2024 The siblings might have had an eye out for their big brother George and father William, as the father and son attended the match together in Germany. Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? Janine Henni, People.com, 9 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for big brother 

Word History

First Known Use

1809, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of big brother was in 1809

Dictionary Entries Near big brother

Cite this Entry

“Big brother.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/big%20brother. Accessed 17 Nov. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on big brother

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!