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

Fletcher’s uncle, Quincy Graham, struggled to speak at first about his niece’s death during a call to action with city leaders at Marbud Park earlier this week. —Darcie Moran, Detroit Free Press, 13 July 2024

There lies the grave of his maternal uncle, Henry Rivas, an Army private who died in the Battle of Hürtgen Forest at 19. —Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2024

Hours later, the teen, identified by family as Suri Mesa Flores, was undergoing surgery as her uncle and another relative were combing the area, desperate for information and video of the incident. —Ellen Moynihan, New York Daily News, 11 July 2024

His father, uncle and sister Hertzberg-Pfaffinger were all actors, and his grandmother was his agent. —Diego Ramos Bechara, Variety, 11 July 2024

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

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