plural bros
1
informal : brother
… Tommy has a worldview that's larger than his baby bro's.Leah Rozen
2
US slang
a
: a male friend
hanging out with his bros
One quirky edge the Olympics haven't yet sanded away is the habit of extreme athletes to stick together. Like, no matter where we're from, we're all bros. That kind of thing.Devin Gordon et al.
b
used as a friendly way of addressing a man or boy
Hey, bro, what's up?
Catch you later, bro.
c
: a young male who is part of a group of similar male friends stereotypically characterized as hearty, athletic, self-confident, party-loving, etc.
The recent season of "Project Greenlight," on HBO, made explicit how resistant to race talk Hollywood can be, a stifling culture of bros bonding with mirror versions of themselves.Emily Nussbaum
These were nerds who could pass for bros on a dorm-room sofa …Ben McGrath
often used before another noun
It's the continuation of the bro culture. In my experience, in this world right now, white guys have an advantage. In their training, they've been given access and tools that I haven't. White men get behind each other and empower themselves.Tanya Holland

Examples of bro in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web For a long time, the gym bros took over the weight room. Jane Thier, Fortune, 20 May 2024 Hate to be a grouch when legions of social media film bros are breathlessly worshipping at the altar of The Demi-God of Cinema, George Miller, but Furiosa is a big step down from Mad Max: Fury Road. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for bro 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bro.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

by alteration

First Known Use

circa 1530, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bro was circa 1530

Dictionary Entries Near bro

Cite this Entry

“Bro.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bro. Accessed 31 May. 2024.

Kids Definition

bro

noun
1
informal : brother sense 1
2
slang : brother sense 3

More from Merriam-Webster on bro

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