nephew

noun

neph·​ew ˈne-(ˌ)fyü How to pronounce nephew (audio)
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
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Dorsey's aunt briefly walked out of court with tears in her eyes as a frantic 911 caller described the extent of her nephew's injuries, the bullet wound to the neck, the lack of a pulse. Mike Hellgren, CBS News, 18 Feb. 2026 Thaksin could be eligible for parole in May, his nephew is the party’s prime ministerial candidate. Helen Regan, CNN Money, 17 Feb. 2026 The army, Ballal added, arrested two of his brothers, a nephew and cousin. Hilary Lewis, HollywoodReporter, 16 Feb. 2026 The Routt County Coroner's Office identified the victims as Aaron Stokes, 47, his son Jakson Stokes, 21, and nephew Colin Stokes, 21, and Austin Huskey, 37, all from Middle Tennessee. Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 16 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for nephew

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of nephew was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Nephew.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nephew. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.

Kids Definition

nephew

noun
neph·​ew ˈnef-yü How to pronounce nephew (audio)
: a son of one's brother, sister, brother-in-law, or sister-in-law

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