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

In the complicated, thorny, offensive, manipulative, sometimes hilarious, sometimes uncomfortable video interview, which evokes the feeling of an uncle sitting down with his hardheaded nephew, Thug is reeling and full of so much anxiety that his legs are shaking. —Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 11 Sep. 2025

Leo Dell’Orco, head of menswear design; Armani‘s nephew, Andrea Camerana, and Michele Tacchella, business unit director of Giorgio Armani and EA7, were among those flanking the casket and greeting guests. —Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 10 Sep. 2025

My daughter isn’t responsible for keeping nephew entertained. —Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025

Dani's on-again, off-again relationship with playboy photographer Andre — who's also her sister's ex's nephew — has become more ambiguous than ever in recent weeks. —Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Sep. 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