cousin

noun

cous·​in ˈkə-zən 

1

a

: a child of one's uncle or aunt

b

: a relative descended from one's grandparent or more remote ancestor by two or more steps and in a different line

c

: kinsman, relative

a distant cousin

2

: one associated with or related to another : counterpart

Rural children deserve as good an education as their city cousins get.

—Benjamin Fine

3

—used as a title by a sovereign in addressing a nobleman

4

: a member of a group regarded as ethnically or culturally related

our English cousins

cousinhood

ˈkə-zən-ˌhu̇d 

noun

cousinly adjective

cousinship

ˈkə-zən-ˌship 

noun

Synonyms of cousin

• relative
• relation
• family
• kin
• kinsman

Examples of cousin in a Sentence

Everyone came to the wedding, including a distant cousin no one had heard from in years.

The cricket is a cousin of the grasshopper.

hurricanes and their cousins, typhoons

Recent Examples on the Web

Joining them was Mia Tindall, daughter of William's cousin, Zara Tindall, who held Louis' hand during their walk. —Stephanie Petit, PEOPLE, 20 Dec. 2025

He was dismissed by then President Nana Akufo-Addo, his paternal cousin, at a time of soaring inflation and growing calls for his resignation from both opposition and ruling party MPs. —Preeti Jha, semafor.com, 19 Dec. 2025

Taylor Swift responds by making a comparison to football player’s locker rooms and the audience learns that before the couple ever met, Swift’s cousins took a picture in front of Kelce’s locker with the Kansas City’s Chiefs, where his number is 87. —Lisa Respers France, CNN Money, 19 Dec. 2025

The prosecutor's office said the victims were a woman who is Paige's cousin and her boyfriend. —Paula Wethington, CBS News, 19 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English cosin, from Anglo-French cusin, cosin, from Latin consobrinus, from com- + sobrinus second cousin, from soror sister — more at sister

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing cousin

• cater-cousin
• cousin-german
• first cousin
• kissing cousin
• second cousin

Rhymes for cousin

• dozen

Kids Definition

cousin

noun

cous·​in ˈkəz-ᵊn 

1

a

: a child of one's uncle or aunt

b

: a relative descended from a common ancestor

2

: a member of a group regarded as ethnically or culturally related

our English cousins

Biographical Definition

Cousin

biographical name

Cou·​sin kü-ˈzaⁿ 

Victor 1792–1867 French philosopher