brother-in-law

noun

broth·​er-in-law ˈbrə-t͟hər-ən-ˌlȯ 

ˈbrət͟h-rən-, 

ˈbrə-t͟hərn-

plural brothers-in-law ˈbrə-t͟hərz-ən- 

1

: the brother of one's spouse

2

a

: the husband of one's sibling

b

: the husband of one's spouse's sibling

Examples of brother-in-law in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The victim’s brother-in-law happened upon the scene of the fatal crash, realized what had happened and asked police why there was so much snow in the right lane, according to a law enforcement source. —Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 18 Feb. 2026

Police have now released photos and video surveillance of a suspect, and DNA evidence is being examined, but rumors kept coming back to the family—particularly to Guthrie’s brother-in-law, Tomasso Cioni. —Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 17 Feb. 2026

Taylor Swift's future brother-in-law is wearing a white jersey, with Team USA currently leading Sweden 5-0 in the third period. —Isabel Yip, NBC news, 16 Feb. 2026

Annie's husband, and Savannah's brother-in-law, is Tommaso Cioni, according to Page Six, which published photographs of the pair leaving their home in Tucson. —Edward Segarra, USA Today, 11 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for brother-in-law

• avoirdupois
• aa
• aha
• bashaw
• bradshaw
• byelaw
• bylaw
• chainsaw
• cheraw
• coleslaw
• crenshaw
• dada

Kids Definition

brother-in-law

noun

broth·​er-in-law

ˈbrət͟h-(ə-)rən-ˌlȯ, 

ˈbrət͟h-ərn-ˌlȯ

plural brothers-in-law

ˈbrət͟h-ər-zən-

1

: the brother of one's spouse

2

: the husband of one's sibling or of one's spouse's sibling