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

Three-time Super Bowl champ Kelce spent the long weekend in and around Southern California with a crew of male friends, including his big brother Jason and Swift’s younger brother, Austin, in what is believed to be his bachelor party. — Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 27 June 2026

Not only was Viggo’s big brother a smaller teenager, but the now 20-year-old Wilson has reached 6 feet, playing centre for Colorado College in the NCAA. — Murat Ates, New York Times, 27 June 2026

Finale has the same attentiveness to detail as its big brother, the same sense of adventure with specialty options, but with an exquisitely crispy New York crust. — Peter St. Onge updated June 24, Charlotte Observer, 24 June 2026

Alcock’s too-few scenes with Corenswet’s Clark Kent/Superman also suggest what might have been a more entertaining tack, establishing a big brother/little sister dynamic with fun, spiky potential. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 24 June 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