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

One brother-in-law lives in the apartment below hers; the other in one above. — Kamala Thiagarajan, NPR, 1 Aug. 2026

His brother-in-law, 55-year-old John Singh, was found guilty of second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter in June of this year, according to the statement. — Samira Asma-Sadeque, PEOPLE, 31 July 2026

My childhood bookstore, which my brother-in-law now owns, relocated to facilitate a massive jewelry emporium. — Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 31 July 2026

In his sentencing memo, lawyers for the young Haji Zada portrayed him as a mere teenager who was only trying to fulfill the wishes of his older brother-in-law, and not as someone driven by radical ideology. — Sarah N. Lynch, CBS News, 30 July 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