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

see also:

say uncle

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

Police officers said during the news conference finding the children was an emotional moment for them all, especially as fathers and uncles themselves. — Avni Trivedi, CNN Money, 7 Sep. 2026

There was no cellphone signal in Pancho’s orchard, so Óscar and one of his uncles drove there to look. — Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026

Her grandfather and uncle, Thomas and Chris Dodd, were both Democratic senators in Connecticut. — ABC News, 5 Sep. 2026

He's got big plans for Season 3 Popular captions for the meme joke about male authority figures like dads and uncles ordering the viewer to do ludicrous tasks. — Owen Carry, USA Today, 5 Sep. 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