aunt

noun

ˈant  ˈänt 

1

: the sister of one's father or mother

2

: the wife of one's uncle or aunt

aunthood

ˈant-ˌhu̇d 

ˈänt-

noun

auntlike

ˈant-ˌlīk 

ˈänt-

adjective

auntly adjective

Examples of aunt in a Sentence

He has three aunts and two uncles.

This is my Aunt Mary.

Recent Examples on the Web

Her aunt plans to pressure the City Council to pass measures to increase building safety. —Sheetal Banchariya, New York Daily News, 2 May 2026

His aunt was Castro’s first wife. —Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 1 May 2026

Lindsay’s aunt and uncle are Cheryl and Reggie Miller, basketball Hall of Famers who had standout careers at USC and UCLA, respectively. —Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 May 2026

In 1977, the restaurant was split between brothers, with Serio’s father staying in Bridgeview and tweaking the name to Joe’s Italian Villa, while his aunt and uncle opened their own place, Serio’s Italian Villa, in Tinley Park. —Donna Vickroy, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old French ante, from Latin amita; akin to Old High German amma mother, nurse, Greek amma nurse

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing aunt

• agony aunt
• aunt-in-law
• great-aunt

Rhymes for aunt

• ant
• cant
• chant
• gant
• lant
• pant
• plant
• quant
• rant
• sant
• scant
• slant

Kids Definition

aunt

noun

ˈant 

ˈȧnt

1

: the sister of one's father or mother

2

: the wife of one's uncle or aunt