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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Claire’s ex-boyfriend Jase, a finance bro, shows up with a new girlfriend twenty years younger and her rude BFF. — Literary Hub, 6 Oct. 2026 Drawing on his experiences as a wrestler and 24-hour gym-bro style, fits were kept trim so Dong could wear, say, a pair of training shorts ($98) with a matching black quarter zip ($155) to workout in between market appointments in Paris. — Ari Stark, Footwear News, 5 Oct. 2026 Newsom started his podcast explicitly to connect with young men, presenting himself as a Democratic problem solver and his own kind of alterna-bro. — Joe Hagan, Vanity Fair, 30 Sep. 2026 Joe and Nathan’s doomed bromance started off tense, got better over time, and worsened again once Joe found another bro to romance with. — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for bro

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

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Cite this Entry

“Bro.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bro. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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