nephew

noun

neph·​ew ˈne-(ˌ)fyü 

 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

The model, who is also the son of Solange Knowles and nephew of Beyoncé, arrived at the event in a Bode robe jacket before shedding it while posing. —Marissa Muller, WWD, 8 Feb. 2025

Peter is survived by his father, Hollis, of Chaska, siblings, Gary Schwartz of Prior Lake, Jane (John) Dahlin of Victoria, nieces, nephews, other relatives, and friends. —Contributed Content, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025

After hitting the second 3-pointer, Perryman blew kisses to his nephew and family members sitting behind Clayton Valley’s bench. —Nathan Canilao, The Mercury News, 7 Feb. 2025

Woman backed after she is blamed for nephew's $1,500 credit card splurge Newsweek has contacted Lazy-Department3052 for comment via Reddit. —Kristan Hawkins, Newsweek, 6 Feb. 2025

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

Phrases Containing nephew

• great-nephew

Kids Definition

nephew

noun

neph·​ew ˈnef-yü 

: a son of one's brother, sister, brother-in-law, or sister-in-law