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

There’s absolutely no royal role for Prince Andrew under his nephew’s reign. —Stephanie Nolasco , Ashley Papa, FOXNews.com, 1 July 2025

Beyoncé Knowles-Carter — on the arm of husband Jay-Z and accompanied by nephew Julez Smith — made a grand arrival at the Louis Vuitton show Tuesday night after all guests had been safely seated for several minutes, and the show had been delayed for an hour-and-a-half from its original start time. —Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 25 June 2025

Wade is also the legal guardian of his nephew, Dahveon Morris, 21. —Hannah Sacks, People.com, 24 June 2025

In an Instagram story after the stills were unveiled, JFK Jr.’s nephew Jack Schlossberg did not weigh on the fashion choices and said the Kennedy family was not consulted on the series. —Pilar Melendez, NBC news, 23 June 2025

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