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
Cops took the cousin, believed to be in his mid-20s, into custody without incident.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 9 Jan. 2025
His brother Rod Dameron, a skilled bodywork specialist with a knack for hot rods, tackled the car’s body restoration alongside his cousin Rodney Creed, who brought his mechanical skills to the table so that the cars could actually run.
—Dominick Williams, Kansas City Star, 9 Jan. 2025
Fortunately a cousin who was a priest in the Coptic Orthodox Church supported his dream — spiritually, emotionally and financially — and Mr. Khalil was able to go to a fine arts university in Minya, about 160 miles south of Cairo.
—Dodai Stewart, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2025
His cousin, Wellington Cepeda, is the manager of Gigantes de Cibao, the last team to win a LIDOM title before Licey’s current reign.
—David Betancourt, The Athletic, 8 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for cousin 
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Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 9 Jan. 2025
His brother Rod Dameron, a skilled bodywork specialist with a knack for hot rods, tackled the car’s body restoration alongside his cousin Rodney Creed, who brought his mechanical skills to the table so that the cars could actually run.
—Dominick Williams, Kansas City Star, 9 Jan. 2025
Fortunately a cousin who was a priest in the Coptic Orthodox Church supported his dream — spiritually, emotionally and financially — and Mr. Khalil was able to go to a fine arts university in Minya, about 160 miles south of Cairo.
—Dodai Stewart, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2025
His cousin, Wellington Cepeda, is the manager of Gigantes de Cibao, the last team to win a LIDOM title before Licey’s current reign.
—David Betancourt, The Athletic, 8 Jan. 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 15 Jan. 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
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