nephew

noun

neph·​ew ˈne-(ˌ)fyü 

chiefly British -(ˌ)vyü

plural nephews

1

: a son of one's brother, sister, brother-in-law, or sister-in-law

2

obsolete : a lineal (see lineal sense 3) descendant

especially : grandson

Examples of nephew in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Tyler had numerous godchildren, more than a dozen nieces and nephews and multiple great-nieces and great-nephews. — Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026

The preserved Plum Orchard, a 30-room, 22,000-square-foot mansion originally occupied by Andrew Carnegie’s nephew, circa 1898. — Jennifer Peebles, AJC.com, 7 July 2026

Butch deferred to his nephew’s cinematic opinions and spoke of Cal worshipfully to his film-buff dentist. — Emily Ruskovich, The Atlantic, 7 July 2026

Around that time, the Count-Duke is believed to have commissioned the artist to paint both him and Italian cardinal Francesco Barberini—a nephew of Pope Urban VIII— to commemorate the latter’s diplomatic mission to the Spanish court. — Theo Belci, Artforum, 7 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English nevew, from Anglo-French nevou, neveu, from Latin nepot-, nepos grandson, nephew; akin to Old English nefa grandson, nephew, Sanskrit napāt grandson

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing nephew

• great-nephew

Kids Definition

nephew

noun

neph·​ew ˈnef-yü 

: a son of one's brother, sister, brother-in-law, or sister-in-law