big brother

noun

Definition of big brother

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

Examples of big brother in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

His mom, dad and big brother couldn’t be happier for God to trust them with taking care of this little miracle! — Taysha Murtaugh, Country Living, "Carrie Underwood Gives Birth to Her Second Baby Boy With Husband Mike Fisher," 23 Jan. 2019 Prince Louis currently sits at fifth in line to take the throne after his grandfather Prince Charles, father Prince William, big brother Prince George and big sister Princess Charlotte. — Tyler Mccarthy, Fox News, "Prince William, Kate, Prince Harry and Meghan gather for Prince Louis' christening," 2 Oct. 2018 The photo already has more than a million likes, as well as thousands of supportive comments wishing the three-time big brother and his family congratulations on their latest addition. — Lily Rose, Teen Vogue, "Justin Bieber Introduces New Baby Sister With Sweet Instagram," 16 Aug. 2018 Prince Louis is fifth in line to the throne after grandpa Prince Charles, dad Prince William, big brother Prince George and big sister Princess Charlotte. — Erin Hill, PEOPLE.com, "See the Royal Family of 5! Will, Kate, George and Charlotte Arrive at Prince Louis' Christening," 9 July 2018 The new baby joins big brother Isaiah Michael, age 3, making the Fisher family four strong. — Taysha Murtaugh, Country Living, "Carrie Underwood Gives Birth to Her Second Baby Boy With Husband Mike Fisher," 23 Jan. 2019 Eli barely knows big brother at this point in his life, and Dad has plenty of skepticism, but Jimmy seems alright. — Nathan Mattise, Ars Technica, "Kin: If you can’t pick your family, hopefully you can find space weapons," 1 Sep. 2018 The child will be fifth in line to the throne, following four-year-old big brother, Prince George (who is third in line) and two-year-old big sister Princess Charlotte (who is fourth). — Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Kate Middleton Has Given Birth to Her Third Child with Prince William," 23 Apr. 2018 This is the quiet, reflective sibling to the Las Vegas location's reckless big brother. — Krista Simmons, Condé Nast Traveler, "35 Best Restaurants in Los Angeles," 27 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'big brother.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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3 Mar 2019

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The first known use of big brother was in 1809

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