big brother

noun
UK: /ˌbɪɡ ˈbrʌðə(r)/
US: /ˌbɪɡ ˈbrʌðər/

  1. A person or organization that has total control over people's lives.

    1. Big brother is watching you, so be careful. [ ] [ ]
    2. The government's increasing surveillance feels like big brother is always present. [ ] [ ]

  2. An older brother.

    1. My big brother always protects me from bullies. [ ] [ ]
    2. Having a big brother meant I always had someone to look up to and learn from. [ ] [ ]

  3. A reality television show in which people live together in a specially built house and are watched by cameras all the time.

    1. She became famous after appearing on Big Brother. [ ] [ ]
    2. The latest season of Big Brother is generating a lot of buzz online. [ ] [ ]

Synonyms

monitor overseer
big brother verb

  1. To control people's lives in a total way.

    1. The state big brothers its citizens far too much. [ ] [ ]
    2. Activists accuse the company of big brothering its employees through constant monitoring. [ ] [ ]

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "big brother" in English means: A person or organization that has total control over people's lives., An older brother., A reality television show in which people live together in a specially built house and are watched by cameras all the time. .

The phonetic transcription of "big brother" is /ˌbɪɡ ˈbrʌðə(r)/ in British English and /ˌbɪɡ ˈbrʌðər/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "big brother": monitor, overseer.

Example usage of "big brother": "Big brother is watching you, so be careful.". More examples on the page.