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 app then references the identifier to help the user detect exactly which model is nearby, and my brother-in-law confirmed that Zuckoff correctly labeled his smart glasses. — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 21 Aug. 2026

His brother-in-law had been accused of sorcery, and his home had been set on fire. — Rachel Aviv, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026

According to family history, Jim Masterson, the couple’s nephew, took over the establishment in 1939 after his mother, Elizabeth Engels, sold it to him for $1 following the deaths of her sister Bebe and brother-in-law Jack. — Jennifer Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 17 Aug. 2026

Price said that, before the accident, Schowengerdt was excited to return to Glacier National Park with his wife, sister and brother-in-law to visit places that were meaningful from previous family vacations in the park. — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 14 Aug. 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