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Definition of "brother-in-law" [broth•er-in-law]

  • The brother of one's spouse. (noun)
  • The husband of one's sister. (noun)
  • The husband of the sister of one's spouse. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "brother-in-law" in a sentence
  • "Defense attorneys told jurors a different tale brimming with retribution by a spurned boss, and a rough-and-tumble shipping industry rife with what they called "brother-in-law deals" that reward fixers for arranging contracts."
  • "Knowing, however, that “propriety would not permit of personal inquiry” he called his brother-in-law T.V."
  • "And what's in store for Ava, who now calls brother-in-law Boyd Walton Goggins her bad-boy squeeze?"