sister

noun

sis·​ter ˈsi-stər How to pronounce sister (audio)
1
: a female who has one or both parents in common with another
2
often capitalized
a
: a member of a women's religious order (as of nuns or deaconesses)
especially : one of a Roman Catholic congregation under simple vows
b
: a girl or woman who is a member of a Christian church
3
a
: a girl or woman regarded as a comrade
b
: a girl or woman who shares with another a common national or racial origin
especially : a Black girl or woman
4
: one that is closely similar to or associated with another
sister cities
5
chiefly British : nurse
6
a
: girl, woman
b
: person
usually used in the phrase weak sister
7
: a member of a sorority

Examples of sister in a Sentence

The sisters live in the convent.
Recent Examples on the Web The empty nesters had lived in the same house since 1998 and had many memories of family celebrations with their two daughters (Jennifer’s sister Michele Torrecilla lives nearby with her family). Michelle Brunner, Washington Post, 23 Mar. 2024 The quick timeline of events rattled the man’s sister, who had called for a paramedic and said deputies could have done more to subdue the man without resorting to deadly force. Daniel Hunt, Sacramento Bee, 23 Mar. 2024 Her sister, Chloe Bailey, tearfully presented the award and reflected on their time together in the industry. Dominique Fluker, Essence, 22 Mar. 2024 Theroux later accompanied his partner at her twin sister's wedding in December. Brenton Blanchet, Peoplemag, 22 Mar. 2024 Dancing runs in the family, because Douglass' older sister, Hannah, was one of the co-captain dancers on Beyoncé's Renaissance World Tour. Bryan West, USA TODAY, 22 Mar. 2024 During his more than three decades of incarceration, Sherman Wright has seen men who have killed come and go from Kansas prisons, his sister said. Luke Nozicka, Kansas City Star, 22 Mar. 2024 The fledglings returned to the nest: Miranda and our son, Nathaniel, rejoined their high-school-senior sister, Beatrice. David Frum, The Atlantic, 21 Mar. 2024 Wilfredo Gonzalez-Rivera, 26, was raised in Puerto Rico by a single mother who worked at various retail jobs to support him and his older sister. Barbara Bry, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sister.' 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

Middle English suster, sister, partly from Old English sweostor and partly from Old Norse systir sister; akin to Latin soror sister, Sanskrit svasṛ

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of sister was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near sister

Cite this Entry

“Sister.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sister. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

sister

noun
sis·​ter ˈsis-tər How to pronounce sister (audio)
1
: a female who has one or both parents in common with another individual
2
often capitalized : a member of a religious community of women : nun
3
a
: a fellow female member of a group
b
: a girl or woman who shares a common national or racial origin with another
4
: one that is closely similar to or associated with another
sister schools
sister ships
5
chiefly British : nurse entry 1 sense 2
sisterly adjective or adverb

Medical Definition

sister

noun
sis·​ter ˈsis-tər How to pronounce sister (audio)
chiefly British
: a head nurse in a hospital ward or clinic
broadly : nurse
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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