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

Our ancestors, and my uncle, fought and died in World War II protecting our values. —Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 10 May 2025

But those who lived through, and taught us about V-E Day - our fathers, our uncles, our grandfathers, our neighbors - are no longer around to help teach others. —Michael Peregrine, Forbes.com, 7 May 2025

There was my auntie, my uncle, their five kids, my grandparents — the two of them — and then us, my dad has five kids, so that was three households. —Kailyn Brown, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2025

Although the 72-year-old St. Charles resident was not yet born when her uncle was reported as MIA on Thanksgiving Eve in 1950, her mother Jean was greatly impacted for life after losing her brother, only a year older and her best friend. —Denise Crosby, Chicago Tribune, 6 May 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

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