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

On Friday, relatives wept over the bodies of a 16-year-old girl and her two nephews who were killed in their tent in southern Gaza. —Wafaa Shurafa, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2026

Dominique’s brother, Gerald Wilkins, played 13 years in the NBA, while Dominique’s nephew, Damien Wilkins, played for 10. —Mirin Fader, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026

Friendly is survived by his immediate family, sister Lisa Friendly and brothers David Friendly, Richard Mark, Michael Mark, Jon Mark and Ruth Friendly along with many grandchildren, nieces and nephews. —Michael Schneider, Variety, 7 Jan. 2026

In addition to brother David, Friendly’s survivors include siblings Lisa Friendly, Richard Mark, Michael Mark and Jon Mark, and Ruth Friendly, along with many grandchildren, nieces and nephews. —Greg Evans, Deadline, 7 Jan. 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