Main Entry: big brother

Function: noun

Date: 1844

1 : an older brother
2 : a man who serves as a companion, father figure, and role model for a boy
3 capitalized both Bs [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