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

Any of your nieces and nephews could turn out to be good or poor stewards of your estate. — R. Eric Thomas, Mercury News, 15 July 2026

Consider the case of a teenage nephew in Atlanta who had become sullen, rebellious and was way behind in school. — Mark Woolsey, AJC.com, 13 July 2026

His uncle, a niece and a nephew, and other family members have been tested, too. — Dr. Céline Gounder, CBS News, 13 July 2026

From an underwater viewing area, Chinita Head, 52, stared past the glass alongside her 6-year-old nephew, Christian Walker. — Finnegan Belleau, Chicago Tribune, 13 July 2026

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