big brother
Americannoun
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an elder brother.
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(sometimes initial capital letters) a man who individually or as a member of an organized group undertakes to sponsor or assist a boy in need of help or guidance.
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(usually initial capital letters) the head of a totalitarian regime that keeps its citizens under close surveillance.
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(usually initial capital letters) the aggregate of officials and policy makers of a powerful and pervasive state.
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Citizens Band Radio Slang. a police officer or police car.
noun
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a person, organization, etc, that exercises total dictatorial control
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a television gameshow format in which a small number of people living in accommodation sealed off from the outside world are constantly monitored by TV cameras. Viewers vote each week to expel a person from the group until there is only one person left, who wins a cash prize
Usage
What does Big Brother mean? A big brother can be an older male, related or not, who protects a younger person.Big Brother (usually uppercase) also refers to an omnipresent, usually governmental authority that monitors everyone's every move.How is Big Brother pronounced?[ big bruhth-er ]
Etymology
Origin of big brother
1860–65; 1949 big brother for defs. 3, 4, the epithet of a dictator in G. Orwell's novel 1984
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
One of the senior scholars sitting on that floor—now someone I think of as my academic big brother—went on to become a mentor and collaborator.
A childhood friend that Xi called his “big brother,” Zhang rose to prominence following the initial waves of dismissals—a move seen as placing a trusted ally at the helm of the military.
He’s committed to Loyola Chicago and considering how well his big brother serves, practicing against him has gotten Matt ready for anything.
From Los Angeles Times
Never in my entire life have I held hands with my big brother, but I squeeze as hard as I can.
From Literature
It hurt the most because Danny knew he would make an excellent big brother.
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
