sister

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noun sis·ter \ ˈsi-stər \

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

There’s more brain ravioli at Osteria Mozza, Babbo’s sister restaurant in Los Angeles.

— kate krader, Bloomberg.com, "Americans Are Eating More Brains as Offal Edges Into the Mainstream," 23 Aug. 2017
He and his two sisters, Visenya and Rhaenys, rode three dragons together.

— erica gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "14 Game of Thrones Theories That Will Blow Your Mind in Season 7," 23 Aug. 2017
Krupa's sister Marta is set to marry race car driver Marco Andretti, grandson of racing legend Mario Andretti, next month.

— tracy swartz, chicagotribune.com, "After finalizing divorce, model Joanna Krupa returns home to the Chicago area," 22 Aug. 2017
Heller joins the Observer on Sept. 5 from The State, the Observer’s sister paper in Columbia.

— charlotteobserver, "Observer names new chief revenue officer, VP," 22 Aug. 2017
Margaret Margaret is another name associated with the British royal family—specifically, the Queen's late sister, Princess Margaret.

— caroline hallemann, Town & Country, "12 Old-Fashioned Girl Names That Are Ready for a Comeback," 21 Aug. 2017
Dan's sister-in-law, Pam, and her husband, Scott, were both killed in a car accident on July 29 in Sharpsburg, Georgia, WSB-TV reports.

— katina beniaris, Country Living, "Read the Heartbreaking Letter the CEO of Chick-fil-A Wrote After a Suffering a Tragic Family Loss," 21 Aug. 2017
A former video game programmer, Karczewski switched gears and took up photography after programming became boring, his sister, Lynda Karczewski, said.

— michelle l. quinn, Post-Tribune, "Freelance photographer Karczewski dead at 45," 16 Aug. 2017
Maryam, who is studying computer science in Kabul, said her sister had considered staying in Japan, fearful of the growing unrest.

— Washington Post, "Young Afghans see opportunities dwindle as security worsens," 16 Aug. 2017

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

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