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

Himesh Patel has worked with Nolan on two projects — once, as an arms dealer in Tenet, and a second time as Eurylochus, Odysseus’ brother-in-law and second-in-command in The Odyssey. — Emma Urdangen, PEOPLE, 18 July 2026

The Skims founder reportedly purchased the vehicle with ties to brother-in-law Travis Barker for her Idaho summer home. — Lara Walsh, InStyle, 15 July 2026

Finally, Gosha calls his brother-in-law Kosyo (Ivan Barnev), a taxi driver-slash-heavy metal guitarist, to take them there. — Damon Wise, Deadline, 11 July 2026

Cancro’s brother John Cancro received about $21 million in compensation over the same period and brother-in-law Daniel Powers amassed more than $31 million from fiscal 2024 to 2025. — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 9 July 2026

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