Brother-in-laws vs. Brothers-in-law

Brother-in-laws

/ˈbrʌðər ɪn lɔz/

The male sibling of one's spouse

Examples:

We spent the weekend with my brother-in-laws at the lake.My brother-in-laws organized a surprise party for me.The brother-in-laws have a friendly rivalry every Thanksgiving.

Synonyms:

brothers-in-law

Antonyms:

sister-in-law

Brothers-in-law

/ˈbrʌðərz ɪn lɔː/

The husbands of one's siblings or the brothers of one's spouse.

Examples:

Sam shared his apartment with his two brothers-in-law.All four brothers-in-law gathered for the weekend reunion.They went on a vacation with her brothers-in-law last summer.

Synonyms:

This word has no synonyms

Antonyms:

sisters-in-law

Ways to tell them apart:

• Remember that brother-in-law is a compound word referring to the brother of one's spouse.
• When pluralizing compound words, add s to the primary word brother, not to in-law.
• Think of having multiple brothers related by marriage, not multiple in-laws.
• English pluralization rules sometimes break the usual pattern, so focus on what is logically being counted.
• Brothers-in-law has the same structure as attorneys-general; the plural applies to the noun, not the descriptor.