Idioms are fun phrases where the words together mean something different from what they say one by one. People use them to make talking and writing more colorful, exciting, and full of life. In this article, you will learn fifty fun idioms that people use when talking about a brother or sibling relationships.
In this lesson, we’ll look at idioms that mean sibling bonds and family ties. Let’s get started and explore some of these helpful expressions.
Idioms for Brother
1. Chip off the old block
Definition: A son who looks or acts just like his father or a close male family member.
Used in a Sentence: Leo loves fixing old cars just like his dad, making him a real chip off the old block. / Everyone says Sam is a chip off the old block because he laughs exactly the same way.
Similar Expressions: Spitting image / Cut from the same cloth
2. Thick as thieves
Definition: Two people who are extremely close and share all their secrets.
Used in a Sentence: Max and his younger brother are thick as thieves and spend every afternoon building forts. / The two brothers became thick as thieves after they went to the same summer camp.
Similar Expressions: Inseparable pals / Joined at the hip
3. Apple of his eye
Definition: Someone who is cherished and loved above all others by a family member.
Used in a Sentence: The youngest brother was always the apple of his older sister’s eye. / Little Toby is the apple of his big brother’s eye, and they play catch every single day.
Similar Expressions: Most treasured one / Favorite person
4. Birds of a feather
Definition: Two people who have very similar personalities, interests, or habits.
Used in a Sentence: Both brothers love playing video games, so they truly are birds of a feather. / Mark and his sibling are birds of a feather when it comes to eating pizza with extra cheese.
Similar Expressions: Two peas in a pod / Cut from the same mold
5. Right hand man
Definition: A trusted helper or loyal brother who assists with everything.
Used in a Sentence: Whenever Ben needed help moving boxes, his older brother acted as his right hand man. / Toby is always his big brother’s right hand man in the backyard garden.
Similar Expressions: Trusted assistant / Loyal sidekick
6. Partners in crime
Definition: Two people who team up to get into silly mischief or fun adventures.
Used in a Sentence: The two brothers were partners in crime whenever they raided the cookie jar before dinner. / Max and his twin were notorious partners in crime at family gatherings.
Similar Expressions: Mischief makers / Conspirators in fun
7. Chip on his shoulder
Definition: Being easily angered or holding a grudge, sometimes felt toward a sibling rivalry.
Used in a Sentence: Nick walked around with a chip on his shoulder after losing the video game to his brother. / There is no need to carry a chip on your shoulder just because your brother won the race.
Similar Expressions: Bad attitude / Grudge holder
8. Blood is thicker than water
Definition: Family loyalties and relationships are stronger and more important than other connections.
Used in a Sentence: Even though the brothers argued all morning, they remembered that blood is thicker than water. / When times got tough, James knew his brother would help because blood is thicker than water.
Similar Expressions: Family first / Kinship counts most
9. Joined at the hip
Definition: Two brothers who spend almost all their time together doing activities.
Used in a Sentence: Ever since they got skateboards, the two brothers have been joined at the hip. / You will rarely see one brother without the other since they are joined at the hip.
Similar Expressions: Inseparable duo / Always together
10. Two peas in a pod
Definition: Two brothers who look alike or behave in a very identical manner.
Used in a Sentence: The twin brothers are two peas in a pod when wearing their matching blue jackets. / People often confuse the two brothers because they act like two peas in a pod.
Similar Expressions: Exact match / Identical pair
11. Run in the family
Definition: A specific talent, trait, or characteristic shared by brothers and relatives.
Used in a Sentence: Great storytelling seems to run in the family among all three brothers. / Playing the piano runs in the family, so both brothers take weekly lessons.
Similar Expressions: Shared trait / Familial habit
12. Spitting image
Definition: Looking almost identical to an older brother or male relative.
Used in a Sentence: When little Luke puts on a cap, he is the spitting image of his older brother. / Ethan is the spitting image of his dad when he was a young boy.
Similar Expressions: Dead ringer / Exact copy
13. Born with a silver spoon
Definition: Growing up in a very wealthy family with plenty of luxuries.
Used in a Sentence: The brothers were born with a silver spoon, giving them access to every toy imaginable. / Not every child is born with a silver spoon like those wealthy brothers down the street.
Similar Expressions: Privileged upbringing / Wealthy background
14. Keep it in the family
Definition: Keeping a secret, business, or task among close relatives rather than outsiders.
Used in a Sentence: The brothers decided to keep their secret treehouse project entirely in the family. / Our grandfather wanted to keep the family bakery business strictly in the family.
Similar Expressions: Among relatives / Within the household
15. Skeleton in the closet
Definition: A hidden family secret or embarrassing past event that brothers prefer to keep quiet.
Used in a Sentence: The brothers joked about an old skeleton in the closet involving a broken living room lamp. / Every family has a skeleton in the closet, and ours is an ancient ruined cake.
Similar Expressions: Hidden secret / Embarrassing past
16. Black sheep
Definition: The odd member of a family who acts very differently from the brothers.
Used in a Sentence: While all his brothers loved sports, Leo felt like the black sheep because he loved painting. / Do not feel bad if you are the black sheep; being unique is a wonderful gift.
Similar Expressions: Odd one out / Unusual relative
17. Safe pair of hands
Definition: A reliable brother who can be trusted to handle a difficult task well.
Used in a Sentence: Ethan is always a safe pair of hands when looking after his younger sibling. / We trusted our oldest brother with the travel tickets because he is a safe pair of hands.
Similar Expressions: Reliable guardian / Dependable person
18. Rock of the family
Definition: The strongest and most supportive brother during difficult times.
Used in a Sentence: During the move to a new town, the oldest brother acted as the rock of the family. / Whenever things go wrong, Noah remains the steady rock of the family.
Similar Expressions: Pillar of strength / Dependable anchor
19. Born on the wrong side of the blanket
Definition: An old expression for being born to parents who were not married.
Used in a Sentence: Historical stories sometimes mentioned characters born on the wrong side of the blanket. / This phrase is rarely used today to describe family backgrounds.
Similar Expressions: Unconventional birth / Alternative heritage
20. Flesh and bone
Definition: A real human relative rather than a fantasy character or stranger.
Used in a Sentence: Seeing his long-lost brother in person reminded him that family is flesh and bone. / He is your own flesh and bone, so you should treat him with kindness.
Similar Expressions: Blood relative / Real kin
21. Live in someone’s shadow
Definition: Feeling less important or less noticed compared to a very talented older brother.
Used in a Sentence: Sam sometimes felt like he lived in his older brother’s shadow on the football team. / Do not let yourself live in your brother’s shadow; find your own special hobby.
Similar Expressions: Overshadowed / Hidden behind fame
22. Pass the torch
Definition: Handing over a responsibility, role, or position to a younger brother.
Used in a Sentence: The older brother was ready to pass the torch of captaining the chess club to his sibling. / Dad decided to pass the torch of managing the lawn mower to his oldest son.
Similar Expressions: Hand over duty / Transfer responsibility
23. Carry the torch
Definition: Continuing a family tradition or legacy started by an older brother.
Used in a Sentence: After his brother graduated, Mark was proud to carry the torch for the school band. / Liam decided to carry the torch of running the family charity event.
Similar Expressions: Keep going / Maintain tradition
24. Keep up with the Joneses
Definition: Trying to match the lifestyle or possessions of neighboring families or siblings.
Used in a Sentence: Their parents always told them not to worry about trying to keep up with the Joneses. / The brothers bought new bikes just to keep up with the Joneses down the block.
Similar Expressions: Match neighbors / Compete with peers
25. Next of kin
Definition: The closest living relative, such as a brother, sister, or parent.
Used in a Sentence: When filling out the emergency form, Liam listed his older brother as his next of kin. / The school nurse asked for the student’s next of kin in case of an accident.
Similar Expressions: Closest relative / Primary family member
26. Man of the house
Definition: The male family member who takes charge when a parent is away.
Used in a Sentence: With dad traveling for work, the older brother stepped up to be the man of the house. / Toby tried to act like the man of the house by taking out the trash.
Similar Expressions: Temporary leader / Responsible helper
27. Like father, like son
Definition: A son or brother who behaves just like his father did at that age.
Used in a Sentence: When Noah fixed the leaky sink, his mom smiled and whispered, like father, like son. / Both brothers love building model airplanes, proving the phrase like father, like son.
Similar Expressions: True copy / Chip off the block
28. Take after someone
Definition: Having similar traits or appearance to an older brother or relative.
Used in a Sentence: Max tends to take after his older brother when it comes to solving math puzzles. / People say I take after my father because we both love reading mystery books.
Similar Expressions: Resemble someone / Share traits
29. Run in the blood
Definition: Having a natural talent or characteristic passed down through family members.
Used in a Sentence: A love for playing guitar seems to run in the blood of those talented brothers. / Swimming fast runs in the blood of everyone in that athletic family.
Similar Expressions: Inborn trait / Familial gift
30. Family skeleton
Definition: An embarrassing or secret story that relatives keep hidden from others.
Used in a Sentence: The brothers laughed about the family skeleton of getting stuck in a tree as kids. / They guarded their family skeleton carefully so the neighbors would never find out.
Similar Expressions: Hidden family secret / Past mistake
31. Home is where the heart is
Definition: The feeling that your true home and family are where you feel most loved.
Used in a Sentence: After a long vacation away from his brothers, Liam realized home is where the heart is. / Coming back to play games with his siblings proved home is where the heart is.
Similar Expressions: Comfort of home / Sweet home
32. Breadwinner of the family
Definition: The person who earns the money to support the household.
Used in a Sentence: The oldest brother worked hard after school to become a temporary breadwinner. / Supporting a large household means the breadwinner works long hours every week.
Similar Expressions: Main earner / Financial supporter
33. Bring home the bacon
Definition: Earning money or succeeding at a task to support your family.
Used in a Sentence: The older brother worked at the grocery store to help bring home the bacon. / Both brothers practiced hard to bring home the bacon in the robotics competition.
Similar Expressions: Earn a living / Succeed greatly
34. Blood relations
Definition: People connected by birth rather than marriage or friendship.
Used in a Sentence: Even though they lived in different states, their strong bond as blood relations remained. / Meeting his distant blood relations at the family reunion was exciting.
Similar Expressions: Biological kin / Family members
35. Pillar of the community
Definition: A respected family member who helps improve the local neighborhood.
Used in a Sentence: Their grandfather was known as a pillar of the community for organizing food drives. / The eldest brother hoped to become a pillar of the community like his father.
Similar Expressions: Respected citizen / Community leader
36. Salt of the earth
Definition: A very honest, kind, and dependable person within a family.
Used in a Sentence: Their uncle was salt of the earth, always helping the neighborhood kids fix bikes. / You can trust my brother completely because he is truly salt of the earth.
Similar Expressions: Extremely honest / Good-hearted person
37. Chip off the old tree
Definition: A fun variation meaning a child who resembles his father or brother.
Used in a Sentence: Watching Leo carve wood reminded everyone he was a chip off the old tree. / The youngest brother is a true chip off the old tree with his musical skills.
Similar Expressions: Chip off the block / Family copy
38. Born with a silver spoon in your mouth
Definition: Being born into a very wealthy and fortunate family environment.
Used in a Sentence: He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, never having to worry about chores. / The brothers did not care about wealth; they preferred hard work over being born with a silver spoon.
Similar Expressions: Born rich / Privileged life
39. Family ties
Definition: The strong emotional bonds connecting brothers and relatives together.
Used in a Sentence: Holiday dinners are a wonderful time to celebrate strong family ties. / No matter how far they traveled, their family ties kept them close together.
Similar Expressions: Relative connections / Kinship bonds
40. Kissing cousins
Definition: Relatives who are closely related or friends who act like close family.
Used in a Sentence: The two neighborhood boys acted like kissing cousins because they shared everything. / They are distant kissing cousins who meet up every summer at the lake.
Similar Expressions: Close relatives / Friendly kin
41. Born yesterday
Definition: Being naive or easily fooled, something older brothers might tease younger ones about.
Used in a Sentence: Do not try to trick me about who ate the cookies; I was not born yesterday! / The older brother knew his sibling was joking because he was not born yesterday.
Similar Expressions: Not easily fooled / Wise to tricks
42. Brotherly love
Definition: Kind, affectionate, and supportive behavior between brothers or friends.
Used in a Sentence: Sharing the last slice of cake was a true display of brotherly love. / They argued over video games, but their strong brotherly love always won in the end.
Similar Expressions: Sibling affection / Friendly kindness
43. Keep your kin close
Definition: Staying near and supportive of your brothers and relatives.
Used in a Sentence: Their grandmother always reminded them to keep your kin close during tough times. / Moving back to the same town allowed the brothers to keep their kin close.
Similar Expressions: Value family / Stay near relatives
44. Brother in arms
Definition: A loyal companion or fellow brother who fights alongside you in a struggle.
Used in a Sentence: During the difficult science project, his twin was a true brother in arms. / The teammates treated each other like brothers in arms on the soccer field.
Similar Expressions: Loyal comrade / Trusted ally
45. Blood relation
Definition: Someone who shares the same biological parents or family ancestors.
Used in a Sentence: Finding out his favorite classmate was actually a blood relation was a huge shock. / We are close friends, but we are also blood relations on our mother’s side.
Similar Expressions: Biological relative / Kin
46. Family affair
Definition: An event or project that involves all the brothers and relatives.
Used in a Sentence: Building the treehouse in the backyard turned into a fun family affair. / The birthday celebration was a joyful family affair with all the cousins present.
Similar Expressions: Relative gathering / Household project
47. Born to the purple
Definition: Being born into a royal, wealthy, or extremely prestigious family.
Used in a Sentence: Old storybooks often described princes as being born to the purple. / The brothers lived a modest life, far from being born to the purple.
Similar Expressions: Royal birth / Elite background
48. Blood test
Definition: A literal medical check, or metaphorically testing family loyalty during a crisis.
Used in a Sentence: Standing by his brother during the difficult test was a true blood test of friendship. / The stressful moving day acted like a blood test for how well the brothers cooperated.
Similar Expressions: Loyalty check / True test
49. Great minds think alike
Definition: Said when two brothers or friends have the same clever idea at the exact same time.
Used in a Sentence: Both brothers grabbed their jackets at the exact same moment, proving great minds think alike. / We both suggested pizza for dinner, so great minds think alike!
Similar Expressions: Same idea / Synchronized thoughts
50. Two of a kind
Definition: Two brothers who share very similar habits, tastes, or personalities.
Used in a Sentence: When it came to collecting comic books, the two brothers were truly two of a kind. / Max and his sibling are two of a kind when telling silly jokes.
Similar Expressions: Matching pair / Similar souls
Exercise to Practice
- Leo loves fixing old cars just like his dad, making him a chip off the old block.
- The two brothers were thick as thieves because they never spoke to each other or shared secrets.
- Little Toby is the apple of his big brother’s eye, and they play catch every single day.
- Mark and his sibling are birds of a feather when it comes to eating pizza with extra cheese.
- Whenever Ben needed help moving boxes, his older brother acted as his right hand man.
- The two brothers were partners in crime whenever they raided the cookie jar before dinner.
- Nick walked around with a chip on his shoulder because he won the video game easily and felt happy.
- Even though the brothers argued all morning, they remembered that blood is thicker than water.
- Ever since they got skateboards, the two brothers have been joined at the hip.
- The twin brothers are two peas in a pod when wearing their matching blue jackets.
- Great storytelling seems to run in the family among all three brothers.
- When little Luke puts on a cap, he is the spitting image of his older brother.
- The brothers were born with a silver spoon, giving them access to every toy imaginable.
- The brothers decided to keep their secret treehouse project entirely in the family.
- The brothers joked about an old skeleton in the closet involving a broken living room lamp.
Answer Key
- True
- False
- True
- True
- True
- True
- False
- True
- True
- True
- True
- True
- True
- True
- True
Conclusion
Learning idioms about brothers and family helps make your writing and speaking much more interesting and fun. These creative expressions let you share funny stories and deep feelings with your friends and classmates.
Try using a few of these expressions the next time you talk about your family or friends. You will see how exciting it is to bring your everyday conversations to life with colorful words!
Frequently Asked Questions
What are some common idioms for brother?
Common idioms for brothers include chip off the old block, thick as thieves, and two peas in a pod. These expressions help describe close relationships and shared family traits in a fun way.
Why do we use idioms in English?
Idioms make our language more colorful, expressive, and fun to speak or write. Instead of using plain words, idioms help paint a picture in the listener’s mind.
What does thick as thieves mean for brothers?
Thick as thieves means that two brothers are extremely close and share all their secrets with each other. It describes a strong and inseparable bond of friendship.
How can I practice using idioms correctly?
You can practice by reading example sentences, writing your own stories, and trying to use one new idiom every day. Matching idioms to everyday situations is a great way to remember them.
Are idioms the same as metaphors?
Idioms are fixed phrases whose total meaning is different from the individual words, while metaphors compare two things directly without using like or as. Both are creative ways to make English more exciting to learn.
