the eldest
noun
—used in comparing the ages of people who are members of the same family
He's the eldest of her three brothers.
Examples of the eldest in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Fritz Peterson was born Fred Ingels Peterson in Chicago on Feb. 8, 1942, the eldest of three children of Fred and Annette (Ingels) Peterson.
—
Bruce Weber, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2024
Junior, the eldest, is an artist repeating 10th grade for the third time.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 12 Apr. 2024
But the next day, only two of his sons were freed, leaving the eldest and youngest in captivity.
—Emmanuel Akinwotu, NPR, 9 Apr. 2024
As the eldest, Wilson says that she was hit the hardest.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, Peoplemag, 29 Mar. 2024
As the eldest of five, his upbringing in Gaza was defined by looking after his siblings while navigating life under Israeli occupation.
—Boutayna Chokrane, Rolling Stone, 21 Mar. 2024
His sister Deana posted on X (formerly Twitter) in June 2022 to pay tribute to the eldest of the Martin clan.
—Lynsey Eidell, Peoplemag, 10 Mar. 2024
As the eldest of Prince William’s children, George is second in line for the throne after his father.
—Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 7 Mar. 2024
Born on June 15, 1947, Casolaro was the eldest son of an obstetrician and one of seven children — though two of his siblings predeceased him.
—Lynsey Eidell, Peoplemag, 29 Feb. 2024
Bruce Weber, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2024
Junior, the eldest, is an artist repeating 10th grade for the third time.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 12 Apr. 2024
But the next day, only two of his sons were freed, leaving the eldest and youngest in captivity.
—Emmanuel Akinwotu, NPR, 9 Apr. 2024
As the eldest, Wilson says that she was hit the hardest.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, Peoplemag, 29 Mar. 2024
As the eldest of five, his upbringing in Gaza was defined by looking after his siblings while navigating life under Israeli occupation.
—Boutayna Chokrane, Rolling Stone, 21 Mar. 2024
His sister Deana posted on X (formerly Twitter) in June 2022 to pay tribute to the eldest of the Martin clan.
—Lynsey Eidell, Peoplemag, 10 Mar. 2024
As the eldest of Prince William’s children, George is second in line for the throne after his father.
—Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 7 Mar. 2024
Born on June 15, 1947, Casolaro was the eldest son of an obstetrician and one of seven children — though two of his siblings predeceased him.
—Lynsey Eidell, Peoplemag, 29 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'the eldest.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“The eldest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20eldest. Accessed 3 May. 2024.
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