son

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈsən 

1

a

: a human male offspring especially of human beings

b

: a male adopted child

c

: a human male descendant

2

Son : the second person of the Trinity

3

: a person closely associated with or deriving from a formative agent (such as a nation, school, or race)

sonhood

ˈsən-ˌhu̇d 

noun

son-

2 of 3

combining form

variants or sono-

: sound

sonic

sonogram

sone

3 of 3

noun (2)

ˈsōn 

: a subjective unit of loudness for an average listener equal to the loudness of a 1000-hertz sound that has an intensity 40 decibels above the listener's own threshold of hearing

Examples of son in a Sentence

Noun (1)

She gave birth to a son.

They have two sons and a daughter.

He is the son of a lawyer and a doctor.

the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Lynch organized the GoFundMe campaign on Monday to cover immediate expenses and create college funds for the couple’s son and daughter. —Reeti Malhotra, Sacbee.com, 18 June 2026

His 3-year-old son Sonny is learning to swing a fat plastic bat, all while working on his launch angle. —Barry Svrluga, New York Times, 17 June 2026

Her son, Steve Cox, said the loss is especially painful because Zepeda had recently volunteered to donate one of her kidneys to him after he was diagnosed with end-stage renal disease. —Steve Large, CBS News, 17 June 2026

In May 2025, Emilie's life was forever changed when her 3-year-old son Trigg was found unconscious in a backyard pool in Arizona. —Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 17 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English sone, from Old English sunu; akin to Old High German sun son, Greek hyios

Combining form

Latin sonus sound

Noun (2)

International Scientific Vocabulary, from Latin sonus sound — more at sound entry 1

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (2)

1936, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing son

• favorite son
• prodigal son/daughter
• son et lumière
• son-in-law
• son of a gun
• son of God
• son of man

Rhymes for son

• bun
• done
• dun
• fun
• gun
• hun
• jun
• none
• nun
• one
• pun
• run

Kids Definition

son

noun

ˈsən 

1

a

: a male offspring especially of human parents

b

: a human male descendant

2

capitalized : the second person of the Trinity

3

: a man or boy closely associated with or thought of as a child of something (as a country, race, or religion)