1
: the sister of one's father or mother
2
: the wife of one's uncle or aunt
aunthood
ˈant-ˌhu̇d How to pronounce aunt (audio)
ˈänt-
noun
auntlike
ˈant-ˌlīk How to pronounce aunt (audio)
ˈänt-
adjective
auntly adjective

Examples of aunt in a Sentence

He has three aunts and two uncles. This is my Aunt Mary.
Recent Examples on the Web Initially posted by her grandmother Elaine Farrar, King re-shared the photo of her grandma, mom Jamie King and aunt Stephanie Farrar posing with her costar Brad Pitt. Alexandra Schonfeld, Peoplemag, 24 Mar. 2024 Brown centered much of his speech around the parallels between his aunt Vera and his recent role as Cliff — who is newly out of the closet after divorcing his wife — in American Fiction, which earned the actor his first Oscar nomination. Nicole Fell, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Mar. 2024 There's never a bad time for an old-fashioned family trip—one that includes kids, parents, grandparents; and maybe aunts, uncles, and cousins too. Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 22 Mar. 2024 Valentin’s aunt encouraged him to pursue a full-time career in tattoo design while Carter’s younger brother was the first to pique his interest. Jenny Rudolph, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Mar. 2024 My mom and aunts were often sprawled on the deck of my grandma’s house, soaking up sun and sucking down Marlboro Lights, rolling up their shorts and sleeves to prevent tan lines. Kara Nesvig, Allure, 21 Mar. 2024 My cousins did it, and my aunts did it to go to work. Kyle Eustice, SPIN, 20 Mar. 2024 But 3-4-5 times a week, a grandparent or aunt or second cousins would pop by unplanned. Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2024 Israel’s war on Gaza, which the International Court of Justice and a U.S. federal court found could amount to genocide, has claimed the lives of my aunt, my three adult cousins and their families. Laila El-Haddad, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'aunt.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old French ante, from Latin amita; akin to Old High German amma mother, nurse, Greek amma nurse

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of aunt was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near aunt

Cite this Entry

“Aunt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aunt. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

aunt

noun
ˈant How to pronounce aunt (audio)
ˈȧnt
1
: the sister of one's father or mother
2
: the wife of one's uncle

More from Merriam-Webster on aunt

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