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/say uncle [=was forced to surrender]

4

Uncle : 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

With their father, Silas (Joseph Fiennes, who is Fiennes Tiffin’s real-life uncle), away on business and their mother, Cordelia (Natascha McElhone), confined to a mental institution, Mycroft guides Sherlock onto the right path by offering him a new job. —Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 2 Mar. 2026

His mom, sister, two brothers, uncle and aunts all live in Iran. —Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 1 Mar. 2026

Aunts and uncles will teach you about art. —Gerald Witt, AJC.com, 1 Mar. 2026

Or are aunts and uncles depicted as a family virus to be avoided and for which there is no vaccine? —Geoffrey Greif, Baltimore Sun, 28 Feb. 2026

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
• cry/say 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