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

And not just the miraculous match-up of Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren as Jacob and Cara Dutton, struggling to hold onto their Montana ranch until their troubled He-Man of a nephew Spencer (Brandon Sklenar) can come home to help, though that figures heavily. —Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2025

Nick Owens was at his nephew’s property near Mansfield without permission and was trying to take his trailer, My Ozarks Online reported, citing the sheriff’s office. —Mike Stunson, Kansas City Star, 13 Mar. 2025

Davila had named the serene guest rooms after her siblings, nieces and nephews — The Tito, fashioned after youngest brother Tito who likes to fix things, had a saw, hammer, wrenches and other tools on a wall and a bicycle holding up the bathroom vanity. —Norma Meyer, Orange County Register, 12 Mar. 2025

Wade is also the legal guardian of his nephew, Dahveon Morris, 21. —Kayla Grant, People.com, 11 Mar. 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