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

But playing big brother to his teammates, has been a joyous subplot. — Joaquin Ruiz, Los Angeles Times, 2 Aug. 2026

In the meantime, David has been declared dead, his little brother is now his big brother, and — perhaps weirdest of all — music videos are now a very big thing on MTV. — Richard Edwards, Space.com, 1 Aug. 2026

For Huntington-Whiteley, one of the best things about welcoming another child has been watching Jack grow as a big brother. — Katie Mannion, PEOPLE, 27 July 2026

Though killing Kim may be Gang Seong’s orders, the mission is also personal for the new Agent 66, who has been told that Kim is responsible for the death of his big brother. — Kayti Burt, Time, 27 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1809, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for big brother

• another
• godmother
• grandmother
• stepbrother
• stepmother
• mother
• nother
• other
• smother
• souther