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Synonyms

bro

1 American  
[broh, bruh] / broʊ, brʌ /
Sometimes bruh

noun

plural

bros

  1. a brother.

  2. a guy or fellow: used as a term of address.

  3. a male friend or buddy.

  4. a fellow Black male; soul brother.

  5. a young, usually white male variously and often negatively characterized as being preppy, party-loving, egotistical, sexist, etc.

adjective

  1. of or relating to bros.

    the bro culture of college athletics.
bro. 2 American  
Or Bro.

abbreviation

plural

bros, Bros

  1. brother.

bro 1 British  
/ brəʊ /

noun

  1. a family member

  2. a close associate

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
bro 2 British  
/ bruː /

noun

  1. informal a friend, often used in direct address

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
bro. 3 British  
/ brəʊ /

abbreviation

  1. brother

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • broish adjective

Etymology

Origin of bro

First recorded in 1830–40; reduced form of brother

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.

“That can’t be possible,” says the wounded tech bro, adding an Apple-flavored coda: “I think different.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

Lawrence has found a character formula viewers find appealing, and Carell’s affability sells Greg’s stumbles, even ones pulled from the annals of early aughts bro comedies.

From Salon • Apr. 5, 2026

“I’m like ‘Puka, bro, I miss this energy.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 12, 2026

Tech bro rivalry is real -- or at least it is for Sam Altman and Dario Amodei, the CEOs of two leading US artificial intelligence startups, OpenAI and Anthropic.

From Barron's • Feb. 19, 2026

It’s really dope having a bro like Dylan who is super cool changing in front of me and me changing in front of him.

From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera

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.