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

Confused and frightened, Lucy contacts her brother-in-law and pleads with him to come and help. —Erik Kain, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025

Besides Washburne, the principal partners in the company — which owns, among other properties, the luxury Highland Park Village shopping center in Dallas — include Washburn’s wife, Heather Hill Washburne, his brother-in-law, Stephen Summers, and his wife, Elisa Summers. —Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 21 Mar. 2025

Is Ricken, Mark’s offbeat brother-in-law, anything more than comic relief? —Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 21 Mar. 2025

New cast members for the sequel include Milo Ventimiglia as singer/songwriter Tim Timmons, Sophie Skelton taking over the role of Bart’s wife Shannon, Arielle Kebbel as Hilary Timmons, Joshua Bassett as Bart’s brother-in-law Christopher and Sammy Dell as Bart’s son Sam. —Katcy Stephan, Variety, 20 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for brother-in-law

• avoirdupois
• aa
• aha
• bashaw
• bradshaw
• byelaw
• bylaw
• chainsaw
• cheraw
• coleslaw
• crenshaw
• dada

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