1
: the sister of one's father or mother
2
: the wife of one's uncle or aunt
aunthood
ˈant-ˌhu̇d How to pronounce aunt (audio)
ˈänt-
noun
auntlike
ˈant-ˌlīk How to pronounce aunt (audio)
ˈänt-
adjective
auntly adjective

Examples of aunt in a Sentence

He has three aunts and two uncles. This is my Aunt Mary.
Recent Examples on the Web Rosemary Clooney is her aunt George isn’t the only famous Clooney in Ada’s family. Nicole Briese, Peoplemag, 12 Mar. 2024 Research into feral colonies shows that cats tend to form matriarchal social bonds; females will adhere more closely to one another (typically in a community of mothers, aunts and sisters). Colleen Grablick, Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2024 Other aunts and cousins had already relocated to Anchorage for job opportunities and the relatively low cost of living. Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024 Hollywood leading men and neighborhood baristas, wedding planners and basketball players, morning-show hosts and accountants, youth pastors and construction workers, your nephew and your aunt. Jonah Weiner, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2024 The campaign is a 30-second video spot of Hahn playing an aunt who needs to buy basketball equipment for her nephew. Marc Malkin, Variety, 29 Feb. 2024 As the mourning concluded at the cemetery and Amal's aunt placed a poster of the girl at the spot where she was killed, the disturbing hum of drones resumed overhead. Diego Ibarra Sánchez, NPR, 29 Feb. 2024 Paris Hilton is remembering her great aunt Elizabeth Taylor on what would have been her 92nd birthday. Becca Longmire, Peoplemag, 28 Feb. 2024 His aunt said the teen had been out with an older family acquaintance. Peter Hermann, Washington Post, 28 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'aunt.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old French ante, from Latin amita; akin to Old High German amma mother, nurse, Greek amma nurse

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of aunt was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near aunt

Cite this Entry

“Aunt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aunt. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

aunt

noun
ˈant How to pronounce aunt (audio)
ˈȧnt
1
: the sister of one's father or mother
2
: the wife of one's uncle

More from Merriam-Webster on aunt

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