- a boy or man who has the same parents as another person
- We're brothers.
- He's my brother.
- an older/younger brother
- a twin brother
- Does she have any brothers and sisters?
- Edward was the youngest of the Kennedy brothers.
- He was like a brother to me (= very close).
- My son really wanted a little brother.
- She is survived by her brothers.
Extra ExamplesTopics Family and relationshipsa1- Bill idolizes his big brother, who is a professional footballer.
- He married the wife of his late brother.
- His old teacher greeted him like a long-lost brother.
- She wrote daily to her beloved brother, Leo.
- The boys are so close, they're like brothers.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- big
- elder
- older
- …
- blood brothers
- brother and sister
- like brothers
- …
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- (plural brothers, old-fashioned brethren)used for talking to or talking about other male members of an organization or other men who have the same ideas, purpose, etc. as yourself
- We must work together, brothers!
- We are all brothers in the fight against injustice.
- He was greatly respected by his brother officers.
- We must support our weaker brethren.
- (also Brother)(plural brethren, brothers)a male member of a religious group, especially a monk
- Brother Luke
- The Brethren meet regularly for prayer.
- (North American English, informal) used by black people as a form of address for a black man
- (in the US) a member of a fraternity (= a club for a group of male students at a college or university)
in family
other men
in religious group
form of address
at college/university
Word OriginOld English brōthor, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch broeder and German Bruder, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin frater.
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brother