son

1 of 2

noun

1
a
: a human male offspring especially of human beings
b
: a male adopted child
c
: a human male descendant
2
capitalized : the second person of the Trinity
3
: a person closely associated with or deriving from a formative agent (such as a nation, school, or race)
sonhood noun

son-

2 of 2

combining form

variants or sono-
: sound
sonic
sonogram

Examples of son in a Sentence

Noun She gave birth to a son. They have two sons and a daughter. He is the son of a lawyer and a doctor. the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The man was upset because his son had, out of concern over the man’s dementia, taken his gun from him. cleveland, 13 Sep. 2023 Marks is survived by his wife; Debby Marks, his sons; Branden and Garret Marks; his grandson; Aiden Levy Marks; his brother; Sanford Marks and his sister; Wendy Goodman Marks. Mckinley Franklin, Variety, 13 Sep. 2023 One other point to make: The timing of the announcement of this impeachment inquiry — right before the need to avert a government shutdown by Sept. 30 — sure seems like this effort is aimed at MORE than any potential wrongdoing by Biden and his son. Mark Murray, NBC News, 13 Sep. 2023 Investigators tracked Pinkins to a base camp of tents, and her five-year-old son allegedly ran from the woods wielding a loaded gun, according to court papers. Rebecca Rosenberg, Fox News, 13 Sep. 2023 For now, her eldest son is doing classes online, her middle son will attend a different school a mile away next week, while her youngest will be taught in his school’s gym. Megan Specia, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2023 House Republicans have been investigating the overseas business dealings of the president’s son, Hunter Biden, but have not produced evidence directly linking the president to financial wrongdoing. Riley Rogerson, Anchorage Daily News, 13 Sep. 2023 In Year 1 of his tenure with Louisville, the Cardinals’ native son emphasized his desire for a style of play that isn’t always pretty. Alexis Cubit, The Courier-Journal, 2 Sep. 2023 Pattie has been by her son's side since the start of his fame, from Justin's initial visit to Atlanta to meet manager Scooter Braun to signing with a record label. Emily J. Shiffer, Peoplemag, 1 Sep. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'son.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English sone, from Old English sunu; akin to Old High German sun son, Greek hyios

Combining form

Latin sonus sound

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of son was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near son

Cite this Entry

“Son.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/son. Accessed 26 Sep. 2023.

Kids Definition

son

noun
1
a
: a male offspring especially of human parents
b
: a human male descendant
2
capitalized : the second person of the Trinity
3
: a man or boy closely associated with or thought of as a child of something (as a country, race, or religion)

More from Merriam-Webster on son

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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