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

Eisenkot lost his son, Gal, a reservist killed in Gaza, as well as two nephews during the war. — Tara Neill, NPR, 7 Nov. 2026

Prosecutors argued Davis orchestrated the killing after his nephew was involved in a fight with Shakur and Knight earlier that night. — Stephanie Giang-Paunon, FOXNews.com, 7 Nov. 2026

Take it from Pastor Mo, nephews, nieces, you will not be allowed to come down and fight. — Gino Vicci, CBS News, 7 Nov. 2026

Dolly Parton’s longtime manager moved Thursday to drop a complaint that accused the late singer’s nephew who acted as her head of security with threatening her estate and its employees. — Andrew Dalton, Chicago Tribune, 6 Nov. 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