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

His nephew, Jimmy Flynt Jr., said at the time of his death that his famous uncle suffered decades of health issues. —Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 22 June 2025

Betts' nephew, Dean Sullivan, told The Hollywood Reporter that the actor died in his sleep at his home in Los Osos, Calif., on Thursday, June 19. —Latoya Gayle, People.com, 21 June 2025

Per The Hollywood Reporter, which first reported the news, Betts died Thursday in his sleep at his Los Osos, Calif. home, his nephew, Dean Sullivan, said. —Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 21 June 2025

Betts died Thursday in his sleep at home in Los Osos, California, his nephew, Dean Sullivan, told The Hollywood Reporter. —Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 20 June 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