sister

noun sis·ter \ ˈsi-stər \

|Updated on: 12 Aug 2018

Definition of sister

1 : a female who has one or both parents in common with another

2 often capitalized

a : a member of a women's religious order (as of nuns or deaconesses); especially : one of a Roman Catholic congregation under simple vows

b : a girl or woman who is a member of a Christian church

3 a : a girl or woman regarded as a comrade

b : a girl or woman who shares with another a common national or racial origin; especially : a black girl or woman

4 : one that is closely similar to or associated with another

sister cities

5 chiefly British : nurse

6 a : girl, woman

b : person —usually used in the phrase weak sister

7 : a member of a sorority

See sister defined for English-language learners

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Examples of sister in a Sentence

The sisters live in the convent.

Recent Examples of sister from the Web

Since then, his two older brothers, ages 8 and 9, have been placed in psychiatric hospitals, while a 2-year-old sister and a 5-month-old brother are in separate foster homes.

— rosemary sobol, chicagotribune.com, "Judge works out deal to bring family together for funeral of boy who died in foster home fire," 13 July 2018
In addition to his son, he is survived by daughters Suzannah Elizabeth Arnold Todd Waters and Cassandra Roberts Todd; four grandchildren; and a sister.

— bonnie l. cook, Philly.com, "Thomas A. Todd, 90, Philly architect and painter," 12 July 2018
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. Harry E. Danielson in 1989, a sister, Dorothy Lambert Kiser, and three brothers, Paris Harvey Lambert, Jr., James Ernest Lambert and John Grady Lambert.

— OrlandoSentinel.com, "Deaths in Central Florida: 7/6," 6 July 2018
And anyone looking to push their body to its limits like a Williams sister best listen up.

— lauren valenti, Vogue, "Watch Venus Williams’s 7 Foolproof Workout Moves for a Grand Slam Body," 2 July 2018
In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by a brother, Eugene Fern and a sister, Loretta Holdridge.

— Sun-Sentinel.com, "Deaths in South Florida: 7/1," 1 July 2018
To recap: The only characteristics Drake shares about the subject of the song are that she's attended New York Fashion Week (or, at the very least, is interested in doing so) and has a sister, which doesn't exactly narrow things down.

— andrea park, Teen Vogue, "Bella Hadid Shuts Down Rumors Drake's New Song Is About Her," 29 June 2018
Zoya has a twin sister named Ulga, whose leg is permanently damaged.

— kathryn lindsay, refinery29.com, "R29 Binge Club: Glow Season 2, Episodes 1-10," 29 June 2018
Khadija plays such a vital role in her family as a big sister.

— elaine rooker jack, The Courier-Journal, "Manual senior wins national Scholastic Gold Medal for personal essay," 29 June 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of sister

Middle English suster, sister, partly from Old English sweostor and partly from Old Norse systir sister; akin to Latin soror sister, Sanskrit svasṛ

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year