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

But when his uncle Wister Adriane—who owned and operated the music store—died, Clifton Muhammad inherited it. —Spin Staff, SPIN, 9 Jan. 2025

After their firefighter neighbor warned them many houses had been destroyed, her uncle and brother made their way to the neighborhood to report back: It's all gone. —Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY, 9 Jan. 2025

My grandma and uncle spent most of their lives in the Palisades. —Jordan Greene, People.com, 9 Jan. 2025

Born in New York to a French family, Faneuil moved to Boston as a young man to apprentice with his uncle. —Michael Snyder, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Jan. 2025

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