# Bro

/ˈbɹoʊ/ (US)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/bro
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. friend or term of address

noun · CEFR B1 · Slang · Informal

a friendly way to address a man or talk about a male friend.

For teachers: a familiar term of address for a male, or a reference to a close male friend. Often used vocatively to establish rapport.

- Hey bro, can you help me move this sofa to the other room?
- He spent the entire weekend hanging out with his bros from college, watching sports and ordering pizza.

Usage: Commonly used as a vocative (a word used to address someone directly).

### 3. aggressive enthusiast

noun · CEFR C1 · Slang · Informal

a man who is very annoying about his love for a specific technology or idea.

For teachers: a derogatory suffix or label for a male who aggressively promotes a specific niche interest, particularly in technology or finance.

- I tried to read about digital currency, but the comments were full of crypto bros.
- The rise of tech-centric subcultures has led to the emergence of the 'bro' archetype in fields like venture capital and software engineering.

Usage: Often used as the second part of a compound noun, such as 'crypto bro' or 'tech bro'.

## Examples

- Hey bro, can you help me with this?
- He didn't know the guy's name, so he just called out 'Hey bro' to get his attention.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.