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 campaign included some humorous, even outlandish, spots, including director Wes Anderson discussing his movie-making process and Martin Scorcese offering a harsh critique of photos capturing his nephew's 5th birthday. —Nancy Cutler, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026

Ferencz’s daughter, Keri Levine Ferencz, nephew Steven Ference and niece Phyllis Lowinger were called up to the podium to hold the gold memorial piece. —Lois K. Solomon, Sun Sentinel, 14 Apr. 2026

Members of Ferencz’s family, including his daughter, nephew, and niece, accepted the medal on his behalf. —Sydney Topf, The Washington Examiner, 14 Apr. 2026

That is until February, Verliz said, when his nephew Freddy, who had also worked on the farm for two decades, was coming back from a short visit to Guatemala. —Jennifer McLogan, CBS News, 14 Apr. 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