uncle

noun

un·​cle ˈəŋ-kəl 

1

a

: the brother of one's father or mother

b

: the husband of one's aunt or uncle

2

: one who helps, advises, or encourages

3

—used as a cry of surrender

was forced to cry/say uncle [=was forced to surrender]

4

Uncle : uncle sam

Examples of uncle in a Sentence

I have three uncles and two aunts.

My Uncle David is visiting next week.

Recent Examples on the Web

Afterwards, Rubiales claimed the man who threw the eggs at him was his own uncle. —Sean Neumann, PEOPLE, 14 Nov. 2025

The culprit, who was later arrested by police, was revealed to be Rubiales’ uncle. —Paulina Dedaj, FOXNews.com, 14 Nov. 2025

Howard, who took the trip alone at age 16, arrived in New York and moved to Detroit, where one of his uncles lived. —Julie Hinds, Freep.com, 14 Nov. 2025

Along with Catalina Mancera, Kneeland’s girlfriend, speakers at the vigil included team owner Jerry Jones, Schottenheimer, his agent Jon Perzley, his uncle his high school coach Brandon Kimble, defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa and defensive tackle Solomon Thomas. —Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin avunculus mother's brother; akin to Old English ēam uncle, Welsh ewythr, Latin avus grandfather

First Known Use

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

Phrases Containing uncle

• and Bob's your uncle
• cry/say uncle
• Dutch uncle
• great-uncle
• say uncle
• uncle-in-law

Rhymes for uncle

• carbuncle
• peduncle
• siphuncle

Kids Definition

uncle

noun

un·​cle ˈəŋ-kəl 

1

: the brother of one's father or mother

2

: the husband of one's aunt or uncle