cousin

noun

cous·​in ˈkə-zən 

1

a

: a child of one's uncle or aunt

b

: a relative descended from one's grandparent or more remote ancestor by two or more steps and in a different line

c

: kinsman, relative

a distant cousin

2

: one associated with or related to another : counterpart

Rural children deserve as good an education as their city cousins get.

—Benjamin Fine

3

—used as a title by a sovereign in addressing a nobleman

4

: a member of a group regarded as ethnically or culturally related

our English cousins

cousinhood

ˈkə-zən-ˌhu̇d 

noun

cousinly adjective

cousinship

ˈkə-zən-ˌship 

noun

Synonyms

• kin
• kinsman
• relation
• relative

Examples of cousin in a Sentence

Everyone came to the wedding, including a distant cousin no one had heard from in years.

The cricket is a cousin of the grasshopper.

hurricanes and their cousins, typhoons

Recent Examples on the Web

While their claims of abuse and threats to their lives from their parents were it to be revealed led to the killings were not admitted in their second joint trial, a letter Erik wrote to his late cousin surfaced decades later that confirmed the abuse. —Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 9 May 2025

Resident Sarfaraz Ahmad Mir said Pakistani shelling overnight killed his cousins, a twin boy and girl aged 11-years-old. —Diaa Hadid, NPR, 8 May 2025

Blanco Bonilla was living in Texas and seeking asylum when immigration authorities arrested him in February after an official stopped him at his cousin’s immigration appointment and asked about his tattoos. —Daniella Silva, NBC news, 7 May 2025

Alongside his spirited cousin Lily and loyal butler Gelert, Henry tries to carve out his own identity as the Fifth Marquess, while contending with the cold ambition of his calculating cousin Neville and the looming threat of the ruthless Lord Penrhyn. —Zac Ntim, Deadline, 6 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English cosin, from Anglo-French cusin, cosin, from Latin consobrinus, from com- + sobrinus second cousin, from soror sister — more at sister

First Known Use

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

Phrases Containing cousin

• cater-cousin
• cousin-german
• first cousin
• kissing cousin
• second cousin

Rhymes for cousin

• dozen

Kids Definition

cousin

noun

cous·​in ˈkəz-ᵊn 

1

a

: a child of one's uncle or aunt

b

: a relative descended from a common ancestor

2

: a member of a group regarded as ethnically or culturally related

our English cousins

Biographical Definition

Cousin

biographical name

Cou·​sin kü-ˈzaⁿ 

Victor 1792–1867 French philosopher