1
2
: one associated with or related to another : counterpart
Rural children deserve as good an education as their city cousins get.—
Benjamin Fine
Benjamin Fine3
—used as a title by a sovereign in addressing a nobleman
4
: a member of a group regarded as ethnically or culturally related
our English cousins
Examples of cousin in a Sentence
Everyone came to the wedding, including a distant cousin no one had heard from in years.
The cricket is a cousin of the grasshopper.
hurricanes and their cousins, typhoons
Recent Examples on the Web
The opening montage blends clips in a way that segues brilliantly from one to the next, as if the songs were sonic cousins that should have been considered in tandem all along.
—Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 13 Feb. 2025
One of those kids turned out to be her cousin, Vincent’s sister’s son, who was diagnosed with SMA in 2023 and then treated with Zolgensma.
—Robin Fields, ProPublica, 12 Feb. 2025
Rye whiskey is the drier and spicier cousin of bourbon with an herbaceous edge, an edge which (as with the Sazerac, La Louisiane and others) is given a few dozen exclamation points with a dash of absinthe.
—Jason O'Bryan, Robb Report, 8 Feb. 2025
Playing at the Super Bowl, the cousins are celebrating the University of Florida and their local
community’s support.
—Amanda Pirkowski, Orlando Sentinel, 7 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for cousin 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 13 Feb. 2025
One of those kids turned out to be her cousin, Vincent’s sister’s son, who was diagnosed with SMA in 2023 and then treated with Zolgensma.
—Robin Fields, ProPublica, 12 Feb. 2025
Rye whiskey is the drier and spicier cousin of bourbon with an herbaceous edge, an edge which (as with the Sazerac, La Louisiane and others) is given a few dozen exclamation points with a dash of absinthe.
—Jason O'Bryan, Robb Report, 8 Feb. 2025
Playing at the Super Bowl, the cousins are celebrating the University of Florida and their local
community’s support.
—Amanda Pirkowski, Orlando Sentinel, 7 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for cousin
Articles Related to cousin
Dictionary Entries Near cousin
Cite this Entry
“Cousin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cousin. Accessed 20 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cousin
noun
cous·in
ˈkəz-ᵊn 
1
a
: a child of one's uncle or aunt
b
: a relative descended from a common ancestor
2
: a member of a group regarded as ethnically or culturally related
our English cousins
Biographical Definition
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share