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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adrian Spencer, a Washington Park resident, and her nephew Sam attended the town hall, after Spencer saw news coverage of Procell's appointment and the controversy around it. David Clarey, jsonline.com, 3 Oct. 2025 And then siblings fight, which affects nephews and nieces. Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 2 Oct. 2025 The fighter, who has been training for roughly three years but has yet to fight professionally, told the outlet that his nephew was home with Rojas when the teen saw a man enter the living room. Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 2 Oct. 2025 One of her nephews had to drop out of architecture school because of his tremors. Charlotte Observer, 2 Oct. 2025 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 6 Oct. 2025.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on nephew

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