nephew

noun

neph·​ew ˈne-(ˌ)fyü How to pronounce nephew (audio)
 chiefly British  -(ˌ)vyü
plural nephews
1
: a son of one's brother, sister, brother-in-law, or sister-in-law
2
obsolete : a lineal (see lineal sense 3) descendant
especially : grandson

Examples of nephew in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Michael Lindsay, the nephew of Hall of Fame basketball player Reggie Miller, turned his final basketball game into a moment to cherish Friday on an NBA court at the Golden 1 Center. Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2024 Additionally, Joe Cooper, 90, brought in his three sons and two nephews to help with the business. Tony Roberts, Baltimore Sun, 8 Mar. 2024 In the epic science fiction film, Butler’s character is the villainous nephew of and heir to Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård). Carly Thomas, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Mar. 2024 The rabbit Nicholas was named after Noland’s son, and Brian was named after his nephew. Sidney Steele, Kansas City Star, 7 Mar. 2024 Among the attendees were (per my probably incomplete tally) his parents, his brother, his sister-in-law, one of his four nephews, a cousin, a godson, and a small, smiling crowd of friends, colleagues, surprise guests and well-wishers. Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024 On flights, our neighbors told us about their own children or nieces and nephews. Emily Siner, NPR, 5 Mar. 2024 Hollywood leading men and neighborhood baristas, wedding planners and basketball players, morning-show hosts and accountants, youth pastors and construction workers, your nephew and your aunt. Jonah Weiner, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2024 After a worldwide search led filmmakers to cast Jackson’s nephew, Jaafar Jackson, as the King of Pop, with 9-year-old Juliano Krue Valdi as the younger Michael, fans have been eagerly waiting to see who would round out the rest of the Jackson family. Angelique Jackson, Variety, 27 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nephew.' 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 nevew, from Anglo-French nevou, neveu, from Latin nepot-, nepos grandson, nephew; akin to Old English nefa grandson, nephew, Sanskrit napāt grandson

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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

Dictionary Entries Near nephew

Cite this Entry

“Nephew.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nephew. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

nephew

noun
neph·​ew ˈnef-yü How to pronounce nephew (audio)
: a son of one's brother, sister, brother-in-law, or sister-in-law

More from Merriam-Webster on nephew

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