Definition of uncle
1a : the brother of one's father or motherb : 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
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Examples of uncle in a Sentence
I have three uncles and two aunts.
My Uncle David is visiting next week.
Recent Examples of uncle from the Web
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Each report said that police attempted to contact an uncle from one missing teen but received no response.
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Mohammed bin Nayef was replaced as interior minister by his 33-year-old nephew, Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Nayef, who was an adviser to his uncle and who is believed to be close to Mohammed bin Salman.
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After Donald Trump’s revised travel ban was implemented in late June, certain grandparents, grandchildren, cousins, aunts, and uncles in six Muslim-majority countries were banned from visiting their relatives living in the U.S.
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But in the books, Theon’s got another crazy uncle named Victarion, who hates everyone.
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Emmitt, a young man with a stutter and an endearing guilelessness, proudly arrives at his great-uncle’s farm wearing his Panama hat and white bucks.
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The state asked the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for an order saying the government could not omit grandparents, aunts and uncles, and other relatives of someone in the U.S. from the list of people who can still travel to the country.
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After college Kennedy went into the Peace Corps, which was founded by his great uncle, President John F. Kennedy.
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Familial relationships that will not be considered close enough to merit entry into the U.S. are, but are not limited to, fiancés, grandparents, grandchildren, aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews, cousins, and brothers and sisters-in-law.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'uncle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of uncle
Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin avunculus mother's brother; akin to Old English ēam uncle, Welsh ewythr, Latin avus grandfather
UNCLE Defined for English Language Learners
uncle
playDefinition of uncle for English Language Learners
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: the brother of your father or mother or the husband of your aunt
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—used as a word that you say when you are being hurt in a fight to show that you admit being defeated and do not want to continue fighting
UNCLE Defined for Kids
uncle
playDefinition of uncle for Students
1 : the brother of a person's father or mother
2 : the husband of a person's aunt
Learn More about uncle
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See words that rhyme with uncle Spanish Central: Translation of uncle Nglish: Translation of uncle for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of uncle for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about uncle
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