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

Police said one of the children, an 11-year-old, called 911 and said she and her siblings had been stabbed by her uncle, Jessica Tisch, NYPD commissioner, shared during the press conference. —Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 6 Apr. 2025

At one time, Nathan’s uncle, David Barton, was principal of the school. —Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 6 Apr. 2025

During his time on Dennis the Menace, the child actor was abused by his aunt and uncle, which revealed during a 1993 feature adaptation of the series. —Glenn Garner, Deadline, 6 Apr. 2025

The reality show followed the lives of her conservative, Christian uncle Jim Bob Duggar, his wife Michelle and massive clan of their 19 kids. —Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News, 4 Apr. 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