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

Although Coogler’s personal connection to his great uncle James from Mississippi who loved the blues has been reported as inspiring Sinners, Coogler has a personal connection with his previous films as well. —Ronda Racha Penrice, HollywoodReporter, 3 Jan. 2026

Falu said her uncle was on his way home from a night at Empire City Casino in Yonkers. —Andrew Ramos, CBS News, 3 Jan. 2026

Nieces and nephews visited for longer and longer stretches, grateful for a cool aunt and uncle in a neighborhood with Southpaw a few blocks away. —Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 2 Jan. 2026

Soon after came Bernie Sanders, who sounded like a proud uncle. —Chris Smith, Vanity Fair, 2 Jan. 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