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

The odd case of a body found in the dark outside a Charlotte family’s home has ended with the victim’s 19-year-old nephew being charged with murder, according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg police. —Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 4 Dec. 2025

The couple is survived by their son, Gregg, Linda’s sister, Barbara, and Barbara's husband, Waylon, as well as nieces and nephews. —David Chiu, PEOPLE, 4 Dec. 2025

The aunt of the 21-year-old shot and killed in Stockton identified her nephew a day after gunfire broke out at a child's birthday party, killing three others and wounding 11. —Tori Apodaca, CBS News, 1 Dec. 2025

Hours earlier, the governor, Josh Shapiro, had led a seder, sitting in the middle of a long rectangular table in the dining room, surrounded by his wife, three of their children, his three siblings, and several nieces and nephews. —Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 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