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/say uncle [=was forced to surrender]

4

Uncle : 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

Queen Elizabeth's uncle Edward VIII abdicated the throne within a year of his ascension in order to marry a two-time divorcée, Wallis Simpson. —Marina Watts, Entertainment Weekly, 2 June 2026

Trust me, Sydney will not care if her uncle wasn't there. —Joe Kinsey Outkick, FOXNews.com, 2 June 2026

One of the greatest joys of my life was watching my favourite uncle, a big, mighty chieftain visiting from my family’s little kingdom in Nigeria, watching The Lion King at the Lyceum Theatre absolutely enraptured. —Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 2 June 2026

Her uncle, Lee Kuan Yew, was Singapore’s first prime minister, credited with setting down an approach to economic development that helped make the city-state one of Asia’s richest and most developed societies. —Angelica Ang, Fortune, 1 June 2026

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
• cry/say uncle
• Dutch uncle
• great-uncle
• say uncle
• uncle-in-law

Rhymes for uncle

• carbuncle
• peduncle
• siphuncle

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