uncle

noun

un·​cle ˈəŋ-kəl 

1

a

: the brother of one's father or mother

b

: the husband of one's aunt or uncle

2

: one who helps, advises, or encourages

3

—used as a cry of surrender

was forced to cry uncle

4

capitalized : uncle sam

Examples of uncle in a Sentence

I have three uncles and two aunts.

My Uncle David is visiting next week.

Recent Examples on the Web

The man and his uncle were on their way to a home remodeling job when immigration authorities attempted to stop their truck in his Avondale neighborhood. —Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com, 25 Oct. 2025

The grotesque details—the uncle’s fingernails piercing his hands, the dog’s permanent terror of rabbits—are simply there. —David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025

Halloween 5 presents more supernatural elements than previous Halloween films, with Jamie having a telepathic connection to her murderous uncle, and Michael being cursed and controlled by a cult to kill his family members. —Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025

His stance towards his uncle is tough. —Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 24 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin avunculus mother's brother; akin to Old English ēam uncle, Welsh ewythr, Latin avus grandfather

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing uncle

• and Bob's your uncle
• Dutch uncle
• great-uncle
• say uncle
• uncle-in-law

Rhymes for uncle

• carbuncle
• peduncle
• siphuncle

Kids Definition

uncle

noun

un·​cle ˈəŋ-kəl 

1

: the brother of one's father or mother

2

: the husband of one's aunt or uncle