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

Then the nephew was detained in a traffic stop and deported. —Melissa Sanchez, ProPublica, 10 Oct. 2025

Remembering Mary and Viola Mary is survived by her husband, Dan, her stepsons Jason, Scott and Joshua Lilleboe, her siblings Penny Liuzzo Herrington, Tommy Lee, Anthony Liuzzo, Sally Liuzzo Prado, her sister-in-law, Anthe Liuzzo, and her nieces, nephews and grandchildren. —Emma George-Griffin, Freep.com, 9 Oct. 2025

Peyton Manning’s nephew struggled against Ohio State. —Blake Toppmeyer, USA TODAY, 9 Oct. 2025

My nephew declared the living room couch his domain and spent his quiet time watching movies and reading. —Jasmine Purdie, Parents, 8 Oct. 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