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 uncle

4

capitalized : 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

Uncle Herschel, the seated oldster in Cracker Barrel’s iconic logo, is not only a character from corporate lore, the founder’s real-life uncle, but a representative, even an aspirational, figure for a certain kind of American. —Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2025

So did his parents, Ramon and Donna Marquez, who along with a couple of aunts, an uncle and a sister, bragged to everyone in their Kauffman Center section about Ryan’s unlikely starring role. —Dan Kelly, Kansas City Star, 5 Sep. 2025

His uncle was a choreographer and backup dancer for Diana Ross and Ann-Margret. —Nate Jones, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025

Lounging in a mint-condition, fifties-era Herman Miller Eames chair inherited from a grand-uncle with a dubious past in the oil industry. —Madeline Goetz, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 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
• 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