What does "sister" mean?
A daughter of the same parents as another person; a female sibling.
Sister
/ˈsɪs.tɚ/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A daughter of the same parents as another person; a female sibling.
- Grammar: sister is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: abbess, affiliate, affiliated, ally.
- Useful contrasts: brother, different, distant.
- Usage evidence: While eating a pizza he was annoying his sister.
How to use "sister"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "sister" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "sister" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "sister" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "sister" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "sister" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abbess" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "sister", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A daughter of the same parents as another person; a female sibling.
"My sister is always driving me crazy."
- 2 Title of respect for an adult female member of a religious order.
"At the convent, Sister Grace supervises the kitchen."
- 3 a female person who is a fellow member of a sorority or labor union or other group wordnet
- 4 A female member of a religious order; especially one devoted to more active service; (informal) a nun.
"Michelle left behind her bank job and became a sister at the local convent."
- 5 Title of respect for an adult female member of a fraternal/sororal organization, or comrade in a movement, or even a stranger using fictive kin.
"Sister Huerta was to have been our initial speaker this morning. However, we received word later this morning that Sister Huerta would be unable to attend our convention."
Show 13 more definitions
- 6 (Roman Catholic Church) a title given to a nun (and used as a form of address) wordnet
- 7 Any butterfly in the genus Adelpha, so named for the resemblance of the dark-colored wings to the black habit traditionally worn by nuns.
- 8 A title used to personify or respectfully refer to concepts or animals.
"Native American leader Chief Seattle urged ecological responsibility, referring to Brother Eagle and Sister Sky in his purported 1854 speech."
- 9 a female person who has the same parents as another person wordnet
- 10 A senior or supervisory nurse, often in a hospital. British
- 11 Any woman or girl with whom a bond is felt through the same biological sex, gender or common membership in a community, race, profession, religion, organization, or ism.
"Connie was very close to her friend Judy and considered her to be her sister."
- 12 A black woman. capitalized, slang, sometimes
"A fly sister rolled in with a suitcase full of hip-hop novels called The Glamorous Life, and an African brother with long dreads wanted to sell them some incense and some fake Jacob watches."
- 13 A form of address to a woman. informal
"What’s up, sister?"
- 14 A female fellow member of a religious community, church, trades union etc.
"Thank you, sister. I would like to thank the sister who just spoke."
- 15 An entity that has a special or affectionate, non-hierarchical relationship with another. attributive
"sister publication"
- 16 A node in a data structure that shares its parent with another node.
- 17 Something in the same class. attributive, usually
"sister ships"
- 18 One of two tornados that form in close proximity at the same time or in quick succession.
Verb
- 1 To strengthen (a supporting beam) by fastening a second beam alongside it. transitive
"I’m trying to correct my sagging floor by sistering the joists."
- 2 To be sister to; to resemble closely. obsolete, transitive
"Deep clerks she dumbs; and with her needle composes Nature's own shape, of bud, bird, branch, or berry, That even her art sisters the natural roses; Her inkle, silk, twin with the rubied cherry"
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"While eating a pizza he was annoying his sister."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "sister"?
Common synonyms include: abbess, affiliate, affiliated, ally, alter ego, analogon.
How do you use "sister" in a sentence?
While eating a pizza he was annoying his sister.
How do you pronounce "sister"?
Pronounced /ˈsɪs.tɚ/.
Etymology
PIE word *swésōr From Middle English sister, suster, from Old English swustor, sweoster, sweostor (“sister, nun”); from Proto-Germanic *swestēr (“sister”), from Proto-Indo-European *swésōr (“sister”). Doublet of soror. Cognate with Scots sister, syster (“sister”), West Frisian sus, suster (“sister”), Dutch zuster (“sister”), German Schwester (“sister”), Norwegian Bokmål søster (“sister”), Norwegian Nynorsk and Swedish syster (“sister”), Icelandic systir (“sister”), Gothic 𐍃𐍅𐌹𐍃𐍄𐌰𐍂 (swistar, “sister”), Latin soror (“sister”), Russian сестра́ (sestrá, “sister”), Lithuanian sesuo (“sister”), Albanian vajzë (“girl, maiden”), Sanskrit स्वसृ (svásṛ, “sister”), Persian خواهر (xâhar, “sister”). In standard English, the form with i is due to contamination with Old Norse systir (“sister”). The plural sistren is from Middle English sistren, a variant plural of sister, suster (“sister”); compare brethren. The sense for "Adelpha-genus butterfly" is a semantic loan from translingual Adelpha, itself from Ancient Greek ἀδελφή (adelphḗ, “sister”).