uncle

noun

un·​cle ˈəŋ-kəl 

1

a

: the brother of one's father or mother

b

: the husband of one's aunt or uncle

2

: one who helps, advises, or encourages

3

—used as a cry of surrender

was forced to cry uncle

4

capitalized : uncle sam

Examples of uncle in a Sentence

I have three uncles and two aunts.

My Uncle David is visiting next week.

Recent Examples on the Web

According to photos obtained by PEOPLE, Michael Jackson's children Paris and Bigi (formerly known as Blanket) were in attendance at their uncle's memorial. —Jack Irvin, People.com, 5 Nov. 2024

Reminiscing about his childhood sweetheart, the 45-year-old avionics technician talks about how the young pair would meet in a courtyard near his uncle’s house. —Sally Abou Aljoud, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2024

Her uncle, Gurcharan Singh Dhingra, also a billionaire, simultaneously became vice chairman emeritus, succeeded as vice chairman by his son Kanwardip Singh Dhingra. —Rana Wehbe Watson, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024

The room had remained untouched for decades after the family closed it off following the passing of various relatives—most recently the sisters' uncle, who owned the house. —David Faris, Newsweek, 2 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin avunculus mother's brother; akin to Old English ēam uncle, Welsh ewythr, Latin avus grandfather

First Known Use

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

Phrases Containing uncle

• and Bob's your uncle
• Dutch uncle
• great-uncle
• say uncle
• uncle-in-law

Kids Definition

uncle

noun

un·​cle ˈəŋ-kəl 

1

: the brother of one's father or mother

2

: the husband of one's aunt or uncle