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

In addition to Cohen, survivors include her sister, Susie; nephews Peter and Paul; niece Laura; and several great-nieces and great-nephews. —Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2025

The hype surrounding Arch, the nephew of NFL greats Peyton and Eli Manning and grandson of New Orleans Saints legend Archie Manning, escalated as the 2025 season drew closer. —Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2025

Michael is set to star Jackson’s own nephew, Jaafar Jackson, in the lead role. —Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 3 Sep. 2025

Jaafar Jackson, Michael Jackson’s nephew, stars in the film as the singer, and the film is co-produced by John Branca and John McClain, co-executors of the Jackson estate. —Conor Murray, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 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