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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In a second photo, Watts captured her daughter, Kai, 16, hugging her big brother before saying goodbye. Michael Nied, People.com, 18 Aug. 2025 Who won Head of Household on 'Big Brother'? Rachel Reilly is this week's Head of Household. David Wysong, The Enquirer, 15 Aug. 2025 Who won the Power of Veto on 'Big Brother'? Katherine Woodman secured the Power of Veto and chose not to use it. Dina Kaur, AZCentral.com, 14 Aug. 2025 Getting dragged to all her big brother’s baseball games drove Sydney Dahlinger Bananas. Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 10 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for big brother

Word History

First Known Use

1809, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of big brother was in 1809

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Big brother.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/big%20brother. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on big brother

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!