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

Linda French was hoping to visit her elderly brother, who is recovering from hip surgery, and her little great-nieces and nephews in New York this summer. — Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 7 Sep. 2026

Named Sharswood, it was built in the 1850s by a slave-owning uncle and nephew who shared his last name. — Keith Zubrow, CBS News, 6 Sep. 2026

Prosecutors say Davis, 63, the only person ever charged in Shakur‘s death, wanted the hip-hop icon shot for the beating of his nephew earlier that night. — Robert Abitbol, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2026

Christopher Amling, Gabriel Edwards' uncle, said that his nephew was piloting the helicopter that went down. — Catherine Bouvet, ABC News, 4 Sep. 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