son

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈsən 

1

a

: a human male offspring especially of human beings

b

: a male adopted child

c

: a human male descendant

2

Son : 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

ˈsən-ˌhu̇d 

noun

son-

2 of 3

combining form

variants or sono-

: sound

sonic

sonogram

sone

3 of 3

noun (2)

ˈsōn 

: a subjective unit of loudness for an average listener equal to the loudness of a 1000-hertz sound that has an intensity 40 decibels above the listener's own threshold of hearing

Examples of son in a Sentence

Noun (1)

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

Regina Cantrell is accused of reviewing her son’s arrest warrants while the investigation into him was ongoing, according to the district attorney’s office. — Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 July 2026

Simeone is the son of former Argentine great and Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone, who provoked David Beckham’s red card during the 1998 World Cup Round of 16. — Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 16 July 2026

Maude Findlay is a white, upper-middle-class housewife living in Tuckahoe, New York, with her fourth husband, Walter; Carol Traynor, her divorced daughter; and Carol’s young son. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 15 July 2026

Tom Holland portrays his son Telemachus while Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron and Jon Bernthal round out the ensemble. — Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 15 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

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

Combining form

Latin sonus sound

Noun (2)

International Scientific Vocabulary, from Latin sonus sound — more at sound entry 1

First Known Use

Noun (1)

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

Noun (2)

1936, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing son

• favorite son
• prodigal son/daughter
• son et lumière
• son-in-law
• son of a gun
• son of God
• son of man

Rhymes for son

• bun
• done
• dun
• fun
• gun
• hun
• jun
• none
• nun
• one
• pun
• run

Kids Definition

son

noun

ˈsən 

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)