big sister
56
1.0
- noun
- /bɪɡ ˈsɪstər/
:
hermana mayor
- I always looked up to my big sister for advice and support.
- brother and big sister
- a proud big sister
- love your big sister
Do you believe having her as your big sister helped you or hurt you more?
- Do you believe having her as your big sister helped you or hurt you more?
- My big sister was, she'd become like our mum.
- I got three siblings, little sister, little brother, big sister.
- And they, they thought I was mature enough as a girl, as a big sister to stay home, babysit him.
- And so I was replaying it, which is, again, a version of survivor's guilt because it was his big sister.
- Serena and her big sister Venus Williams brought to mind Zora Neale Hurston's I feel most colored when I'm thrown against a sharp white background.
Examples
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I was happy to look out for her, be a big sister.
Fiction book (1996) -
Your big sister won't abandon you.
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Do you believe having her as your big sister helped you or hurt you more?
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So I was kind of her big sister on that show and still am.
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It's a great responsible thing to do and as your big sister, I'm here to help.
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My big sister was, she'd become like our mum.
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I thought of my big sister Raisin, who never runs away from anything.
Fiction book (2001) -
"Pick up your puzzle," my big sister says at bedtime.
Fiction book (2002) -
I'm your big sister.
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Mandy held out her arms, and Rebecca went into her big sister's lap.
Fiction book (1991)
Synonyms
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
big + sister
The meaning 'an older female sibling' is directly derivable from combining 'big' (used in family contexts to mark relative age/greater size) with 'sister' (female sibling); the adjective+noun composition transparently signals an older sibling. This usage is common and cross-linguistically accessible, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer the intended familial meaning.
Etymology
Big sister brings a simple picture: an older, often taller girl who looks after or helps a younger child. The word big here means 'older' and sister is the female sibling, so it means 'an older female sibling'.