nephew

noun

neph·​ew ˈne-(ˌ)fyü How to pronounce nephew (audio)
 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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 See All Example Sentences for nephew

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of nephew was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Nephew.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nephew. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

nephew

noun
neph·​ew ˈnef-yü How to pronounce nephew (audio)
: a son of one's brother, sister, brother-in-law, or sister-in-law

More from Merriam-Webster on nephew

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