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

Like Squid Game, the final scene brings us to Los Angeles, where two bros discuss sports at a bar, as a story about the earthquakes plays on the news. —Kayti Burt, Time, 26 Sep. 2025

There’s been a shift from the alpha bro to a more chill, nice guy. —Ashleigh N. Deluca, Parents, 24 Sep. 2025

Many tech bros opt to live in and around Silicon Valley, but the founder of the social media management company Hootsuite instead chose to settle down in Canada. —Tori Latham, Robb Report, 22 Sep. 2025

Some aspects of Wolfe’s story really spoke to James, especially Wolfe’s resilience and courage in the face of ugly misogyny and bullying tech bros. —Brian Truitt, USA Today, 21 Sep. 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