nephew

noun neph·ew \ ˈne-(ˌ)fyü , chiefly British -(ˌ)vyü \

Updated on: 25 Apr 2018

Definition of nephew

1 a : a son of one's brother or sister or of one's brother-in-law or sister-in-law

b : an illegitimate (see illegitimate 1) son of an ecclesiastic

2 obsolete : a lineal (see lineal 3) descendant; especially : grandson

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Recent Examples of nephew from the Web

Marge also leaves her brother, Joseph Santerson and his wife Norma of Rancho Mirage, CA; her niece Julie Tholen and family; her nephew Scot Pandolfi and his family, of Hebron.

— hartford courant, courant.com, "Marjorie Barrett," 20 Apr. 2018
According to the sheriff's office, Blackmon identified Cash, his nephew, as the assailant but did not want to pursue charges.

— lawrence specker, AL.com, "Victim in February beating dies; murder suspect sought," 19 Apr. 2018
The house in the Ozarks was still blazing, swallowed by fire with her four nephews inside, when Lindsey VanPelt sped to the scene.

— eric adler, max londberg and matt campbell, kansascity, "Ozarks mother watches home burn with her four children inside. 'They were her life' | The Kansas City Star," 19 Apr. 2018
Today, his nephew Gary Kazanchyan runs the shop and creates custom footwear for actors and actresses in TV and film, as well as musicians like Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars.

— brooke bobb, Vogue, "Meet the Man Who Made 3,000 Pairs of High Heels for Prince," 19 Apr. 2018
But they were swept out into deeper waters and the girl was unable to help her nephew, the report says.

— justin madden, cleveland.com, "300-gallon spill closes portion of I-480, police say," 19 Apr. 2018
Bruce Arena has some unexpected time on his hands right now, so why not do a favor for his nephew?

— jeff metcalfe, azcentral, "Bruce Arena: U.S. Soccer not making 2018 World Cup is wake-up call, not crisis," 17 Apr. 2018
That attitude continued through his adulthood until 2004, when Fisher was invited to watch his nephew compete in the Chicago Marathon.

— suzanne baker, Naperville Sun, "Monday's Boston Marathon last leg on Naperville man's 50-state run quest," 16 Apr. 2018
Gutierrez knew Harrison through her nephew and, according to prosecutors, befriended her just to rob her.

— keri blakinger, Houston Chronicle, "Brownsville man convicted of stabbing 85-year-old woman with screwdriver gets execution date," 16 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nephew.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of nephew

Middle English nevew, from Anglo-French nevou, neveu, from Latin nepot-, nepos grandson, nephew; akin to Old English nefa grandson, nephew, Sanskrit napāt grandson

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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NEPHEW Defined for English Language Learners

nephew

noun

Definition of nephew for English Language Learners

: a son of your brother or sister

NEPHEW Defined for Kids

nephew

noun neph·ew \ ˈne-fyü \

Definition of nephew for Students

: a son of a person's brother or sister

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Spanish Central: Translation of nephew Nglish: Translation of nephew for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of nephew for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about nephew

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nephew

Definition of nephew

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Origin and Etymology of nephew

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nephew

Definition of nephew for English Language Learners

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nephew

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