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

There, Louis matched with big brother Prince George in a navy suit and light blue tie. —Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2026

Poised to serve as a surrogate big brother to Peter, Dom is married, showing to Peter that a Night Agent could have a personal life and a family. —Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 22 Apr. 2026

Julian might also want to help his big brother gain a few pounds at the dinner table. —Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026

On the latest episode of the New Heights podcast, Kelce was asked by big brother, Jason, about the NFL Draft, which begins Thursday night. —Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 22 Apr. 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