brother

brother — 名詞

1. a male child or adult in your family, born to the same two parents as you or sha

1.名詞A1
釋義

哥哥;弟弟

和你同父母或共一方父母的男性手足

a male child or adult in your family, born to the same two parents as you or sharing one parent with you

例句

My older brother fixed my bike before school started.

我哥哥在上學前先把我的腳踏車修好了。

older brother in a family context

When Aiko moved to Osaka, her brother called every Sunday night.

Aiko 搬到大阪後,她哥哥每個星期天晚上都會打電話來。

brother as family member

同義詞
  • sibling

    gender-neutral and more formal; it can mean a brother or a sister

  • half brother

    narrower; used when you share only one parent

  • stepbrother

    used for a brother gained through a parent's new marriage, not by birth

文法句型

older brother

younger brother

big brother

little brother

用法筆記

Most often used with family words such as 'older', 'younger', 'big', or 'little'. When the relationship is not from the same two parents, English often makes that clear with words like 'half brother' or 'stepbrother'.

常見錯誤

He is my elder brother than me.
He is my older brother.
💡use 'older brother' for the family relationship; 'elder' is more limited and does not take 'than'.

2. a man linked to your group, movement, or shared beliefs, often addressed as brot

2.名詞B2
釋義

同袍

同組織或同理念的男性成員

a man linked to your group, movement, or shared beliefs, often addressed as brother within it

例句

At the union hall, older workers called each other brother.

在工會會館裡,年長工人彼此都叫對方「同袍」。

call each other brother in a group

During the march, another brother from the housing group handed Ravi a bottle of water.

遊行時,住房團體的一位同袍遞給 Ravi 一瓶水。

brother for a man in the same movement

同義詞
  • comrade

    often sounds political or strongly tied to a shared cause

  • fellow member

    clear and neutral, but less warm and less personal

  • brother-in-arms

    narrower; stresses struggle or hardship faced together

反義詞
  • outsider

    someone not included in the group

文法句型

call someone brother

brothers in the union

fraternity brothers

Brother + name in a group

用法筆記

Usually tied to a shared group identity such as a union, fraternity, movement, or religious community. Distinguish from noun/1: this sense is about belonging together, not about family.

常見錯誤

All the brothers in my office helped me.
All the men in my office helped me.
💡this sense needs a real shared group identity, not just a workplace with male coworkers.

3. used by some Black men when speaking to or about another Black man

3.名詞C1
釋義

兄弟

黑人男性彼此的稱呼

used by some Black men when speaking to or about another Black man

例句

After the game, an older Black man said, 'Good job, brother.'

比賽後,一位年長的黑人男子說:「做得好,兄弟。」

direct address: brother

At the Black church picnic, one brother saved Marcus a seat by the grill.

在黑人教會的野餐會上,一位兄弟在烤架旁替 Marcus 留了位子。

brother in a Black community setting

同義詞
  • bro

    much broader and not tied to this community-specific use

  • man

    far more general; it does not carry the same shared-identity meaning

文法句型

say brother to someone

call another man brother

用法筆記

Common as a direct form of address or a warm reference inside Black communities. Learners should treat it as community-specific rather than as a neutral everyday substitute for 'man' or for noun/1.

4. a title placed before a man's name in some religious communities, especially for

4.名詞B2
釋義

修士

宗教團體中男性成員的頭銜

a title placed before a man's name in some religious communities, especially for a monk or another male member

例句

Brother Thomas opened the chapel doors before sunrise.

Thomas 修士在日出前打開了小教堂的門。

title: Brother + name

After class, the children thanked the brother who taught music at the village school.

下課後,孩子們向那位在村裡學校教音樂的修士道謝。

the brother + role in a religious community

同義詞
  • monk

    narrower; many brothers are monks, but not every religious brother is described that way

  • friar

    more specific to certain Christian religious orders

文法句型

Brother + name

the brother at the monastery

brother in a religious order

用法筆記

Placed before a name or used as a title inside a religious order. Distinguish from noun/2: noun/2 can refer to many kinds of groups, but this sense is specifically tied to religious life.

常見錯誤

Brother John is a brother in the army.
Brother John is a brother in the monastery.
💡this title belongs to some religious communities, not to military ranks.