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

Emergency services attended to him at the scene but were unable to revive Claydon, who’d been attending the concert with brother, niece and nephew. —Thomas Smith, Billboard, 6 Aug. 2025

His nephew, who was inside the residence at the time, told police a television and phone were taken. —Chris Ramirez, jsonline.com, 6 Aug. 2025

According to the book by author Andrew Lownie, with an excerpt published in the Daily Mail, tensions between Prince Andrew, 65, and both of his nephews have simmered for years. —Erin Hill, People.com, 2 Aug. 2025

Authorities have alleged that the murder was retaliation for a physical altercation between Shakur and Davis’ nephew, Orlando Anderson, after a Mike Tyson fight that occurred hours before Shakur was shot. —Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 30 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