son

1 of 2

noun

Synonyms of sonnext
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 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Murdaugh, the scion of a prominent South Carolina legal dynasty, was convicted in March 2023 in the murder of his 22-year-old son, Paul, and his wife, Margaret. Abigail Brooks, NBC news, 14 May 2026 Cotillard’s daughter, 9, and son, 15, are encouraging their mother to accept more leading roles in studio films. Matt Donnelly, Variety, 13 May 2026 Getting his son to the appointments continues to be a challenge. Marvin Hurst, CBS News, 13 May 2026 That same day, Dessaint's son told her and Serrato that his military base was under attack. Juliana Kim, NPR, 13 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for son

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Son.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/son. Accessed 15 May. 2026.

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)

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