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

Democrats kicked things off with roaring cheers as Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and Slotkin’s nieces and nephews made remarks on a stage under screens displaying live election results. —Dana Afana, Detroit Free Press, 6 Nov. 2024

My brother David and his family, my nieces and my nephews, and of course, the one the world revolves around, baby Maya. —Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Orange County Register, 5 Nov. 2024

One woman suggested her 24-year-old nephew as a possibility, and Alex's mom replied that with her daughter being 38, that might not be a great fit for either one of them. —Susan Young, People.com, 3 Nov. 2024

Suddenly, a similarly horrifying being, Kuni, rushed out of the interior of the home and asked him delightedly about her new nephew. —Tithi Bhattacharya / Made By History, TIME, 31 Oct. 2024

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