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

Days after hearing of Holloway’s death from breast cancer at 79 on July 18, according to her nephew, Miami Dade College students reacted. — Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 29 July 2026

Jaafar Jackson, who is the nephew of the late pop icon and son of Jermaine Jackson, plays Michael Jackson in his teen and adult years and Juliano Valde plays the 10-year-old version of the singer alongside his brothers in the Jackson Five. — Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026

The biopic directed by Antoine Fuqua, written by John Logan, produced by Graham King and starring the King of Pop’s nephew Jaafar Jackson, will stream on all Starz apps and Starz streaming and on-demand platforms. — Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 27 July 2026

Jackson is played by his nephew, Jaafar Jackson, and as a child by Juliano Valdi, both making their film debuts. — Arushi Jacob, Variety, 27 July 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