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

Kim Gartner, whose nephew's property was wrecked in storms overnight in Kankakee, described softball-sized hail that shattered car windows. —Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 11 Mar. 2026

Besides his wife and children, Bertucelli is survived by his parents, Dave and Patty; his sister, Trisha, and his brother-in-law, Michael; nephew Jack; and nieces Ella and Olivia. —Linda Zavoral, Mercury News, 6 Mar. 2026

Jack Schlossberg, Kennedy’s nephew who is running for Congress in New York, has been particularly vocal. —Jocelyn Noveck, Twin Cities, 6 Mar. 2026

As various subplots chugged along toward their combustion point, top dog Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy) and his aggrieved nephew Michael (Finn Cole) had their final stand-off. —Miriam Balanescu, IndieWire, 5 Mar. 2026

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