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

Sandler is once again in babysitter mode, this time as a disenchanted guy tasked with taking care of his niece and nephew. —Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 26 July 2025

The following year, after a coup d’état, Napoleon III, the nephew of Napoleon I, became Emperor of France, and republican Paris was quickly transformed into the capital of consumption for an imperial society. —Leslie Camhi, New Yorker, 25 July 2025

Colton's nephew was his shadow, and his nieces followed him around like baby ducklings. —Claudia Levens, jsonline.com, 24 July 2025

Jaafar Jackson, the late singer’s real-life nephew, steps into the role of Michael Jackson. —Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 24 July 2025

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