brothers

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of brother.

   All three brothers inherited an equal share of the family farm.

   The brothers argued for an hour over who would drive home.

   Note

   The regular plural, built with -s, covers every meaning of brother: sons of the same parents, half-brothers and stepbrothers, fellow members of a church or trade union, and men joined by a common cause. The older plural brethren survives in religious and fraternal settings for fellow members of a congregation or order. Even there, brothers is correct, and it is the everyday choice everywhere else.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of brother.

   The old monk brothers anyone who arrives at the monastery seeking shelter.

   He brothers his young cousins so warmly that they treat him as family.

   Note

   The verb is transitive, so this form always needs an object: someone brothers a newcomer or brothers his cousins, treating them as kin. It is spelled exactly like the noun plural, and the sentence shows which one you have. In "the brothers argued," the word names people. In "she brothers them," it follows a singular subject and carries the action.

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