nephew

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

|Updated on: 19 Jun 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

Nieces and nephews are the closest remaining relatives to attend the funeral of Keown, who grew up near Atlanta in Lawrenceville, Georgia, before moving to Scottsboro, Alabama.

— CBS News, "Pilot missing since World War II buried at Arlington National Cemetery," 15 June 2018
Bertrand is survived by his son, Joel Gilbert; sister, Juliette (Gilbert) Ouellette; granddaughter, Harmony Gilbert; nieces; and nephews.

— OrlandoSentinel.com, "Deaths in Central Florida: 6/15," 15 June 2018
In addition to her husband, Mrs. Irvine is survived by sons Clarence Jr., Andre, Brian, and Gary; eight grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; a brother; and many nieces and nephews.

— bonnie l. cook, Philly.com, "Catherine R. Irvine, 80, Philadelphia school aide and legislative assistant," 13 June 2018
Maren was close to his nieces and nephews after his wife Elizabeth, who was also a little person, died in 2011 at age 69, TMZ reports.

— stephanie petit, PEOPLE.com, "Wizard of Oz's Last Surviving Munchkin Jerry Maren Dies at 98," 6 June 2018
She was born October 22, 1922 to Michael and Eva Guskey in Oxford, MA.She is survived by a son, Robert N. Ingraham, daughter, Linda (James) Bigos Oeky, 4 grandchildren, 5 great grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.

— OrlandoSentinel.com, "Deaths in Central Florida: 6/1," 1 June 2018
In the attack on La Joya, soldiers killed 24 relatives of Rosario López, 70, including her parents, two sisters and 17 nieces and nephews.

— New York Times, "Survivors of Massacre Ask: ‘Why Did They Have to Kill Those Children?’," 26 May 2018
In addition to his wife and daughter, Mr. Seaver is survived by two granddaughters; a great-granddaughter; and many nieces and nephews.

— bonnie l. cook, Philly.com, "Edward M. Seaver, 92, PGW mechanic and World War II veteran," 24 May 2018
Briscoe is survived by his children, Kelly (Dan) Kenny and Patrick (Stephanie Whelan) Briscoe; a granddaughter, Erin Kenny; his former wife, Cathy Briscoe; a brother-in-law, John Staib; a sister-in-law, Ruby Briscoe and many nieces and nephews.

— jim newton, Lake County News-Sun, "Lake County criminal attorney Thomas Briscoe dead at 64," 15 May 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

See Words from the same year