uncle

noun

un·​cle ˈəŋ-kəl 

1

a

: the brother of one's father or mother

b

: the husband of one's aunt or uncle

2

: one who helps, advises, or encourages

3

—used as a cry of surrender

was forced to cry uncle

4

capitalized : uncle sam

Examples of uncle in a Sentence

I have three uncles and two aunts.

My Uncle David is visiting next week.

Recent Examples on the Web

Mary Trump often expresses her concern about her uncle in a public manner, typically on the internet. —Andy Biggs, Newsweek, 25 Dec. 2024

Kevin Jonas' daughter had a hilarious reaction to learning that her uncle was in PEOPLE's Sexiest Man Alive issue. —Hannah Sacks, People.com, 24 Dec. 2024

Her uncle, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, also had a good year. —Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 23 Dec. 2024

When Helga contacted her mother’s white relatives in Chicago, Larsen wrote, her Uncle Peter’s new wife treated her with contempt and her uncle gave her $5,000 and encouraged her to go to Denmark. —Ethelene Whitmire, New York Times, 20 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin avunculus mother's brother; akin to Old English ēam uncle, Welsh ewythr, Latin avus grandfather

First Known Use

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

Phrases Containing uncle

• and Bob's your uncle
• Dutch uncle
• great-uncle
• say uncle
• uncle-in-law

Kids Definition

uncle

noun

un·​cle ˈəŋ-kəl 

1

: the brother of one's father or mother

2

: the husband of one's aunt or uncle