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

Lisseth says her brother-in-law was verbally abusing her sister, who was 20 years his junior. —Gabrielle Emanuel, NPR, 4 Mar. 2026

Earlier this week, Savannah marked one month since her mother's disappearance by visiting the shrine of yellow flowers, cards, and messages left outside of Nancy’s home with her sister Annie and her brother-in-law, Tommaso Cioni. —Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Mar. 2026

On Monday, Savannah Guthrie, with her sister and brother-in-law, visited the growing tribute of yellow flowers outside their mother's home and left their own. —Sumiko Corley, NBC news, 3 Mar. 2026

Alongside her sister Annie and her brother-in-law, Savannah visited the memorial outside Nancy Guthrie’s home. —Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 3 Mar. 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