Jump To:

• cousin
  cousin

  noun

  the son or daughter of an uncle or aunt.
• Cousin
  Cousin

  noun

  Victor 1792–1867, French philosopher and educational reformer: founder of the method of eclecticism in French philosophy.

cousin

¹ American  

[kuhz-uhn] / ˈkʌz ən /

noun

• cousins
  plural

1. Also called full cousin.  Also called first cousin.  the son or daughter of an uncle or aunt.

2. one related by descent in a diverging line from a known common ancestor, as from one's grandparent or from one's father's or mother's sister or brother.

3. a kinsman or kinswoman; relative.

4. a person or thing related to another by similar natures, languages, geographical proximity, etc..

   Our Canadian cousins are a friendly people.

5. Slang. a gullible, innocent person who is easily duped or taken advantage of.

6. a term of address used by a sovereign in speaking, writing, or referring to another sovereign or a high-ranking noble.

---

Cousin ² American  

[koo-zan] / kuˈzɛ̃ /

noun

1. Victor 1792–1867, French philosopher and educational reformer: founder of the method of eclecticism in French philosophy.

---

cousin ¹ British  

/ ˈkʌzən /

noun

1. Also called: first cousin.   cousin-german.   full cousin.  the child of one's aunt or uncle

2. a relative who has descended from one of one's common ancestors. A person's second cousin is the child of one of his parents' first cousins. A person's third cousin is the child of one of his parents' second cousins. A first cousin once removed (or loosely second cousin ) is the child of one's first cousin

3. a member of a group related by race, ancestry, interests, etc

   our Australian cousins

4. a title used by a sovereign when addressing another sovereign or a nobleman

---

Cousin ² British  

/ kuzɛ̃ /

noun

1. Victor (viktɔr). 1792–1867, French philosopher and educational reformer

---

cousin Idioms  

1. see country cousin; first cousin; kissing cousins; second cousin.

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• cousinage
  noun
• cousinhood
  noun
• cousinship
  noun
• cousinly
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• cousins
  plural

Etymology

Origin of cousin

1250–1300; Middle English cosin < Anglo-French co ( u ) sin, Old French cosin < Latin consōbrīnus cousin (properly, son of one's mother's sister), equivalent to con- con- + sōbrīnus second cousin (presumably originally “pertaining to the sister”) < *swesrīnos, equivalent to *swesr-, gradational variant of *swesōr (> soror sister ) + *-īnos -ine ¹; for -sr- > -br- cf. December

Explanation

If Aunt Sally has a kid, that kid is your cousin, and if Aunt Sally's kid has a kid, and you have a kid too, then your kid and Sally's kid's kid are second cousins. A cousin is a relative that's farther from you than an immediate relation like your brother or sister, usually the child of your aunt or uncle. Depending on how many children are born into your family, you might have tons of cousins you've never even met, like your distant cousin Johnny who went wild up in Alaska. We also use cousin to describe a kind of family resemblance between things, like the way barbecue sauce is the cousin of ketchup.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cousin Cousin cousins

Lloyd-Lavery's cousin, David Lavery, provided a character reference to a court after the former schoolteacher was convicted earlier this year.

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026

A Colorado woman fell victim to this phishing scam after receiving what appeared to be a legitimate digital party invitation from her cousin, this time via Paperless Post.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026

He rushed out of his house in shorts and slippers, calling his cousin on the way to come help.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026

Quintero lived next to her cousin, and they became “pen pals” after he was sent to juvenile hall, she testified.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

This must be the cousin I’ve never met.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

Cousin Island provided an ideal natural setting for this long-term study.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 13, 2026

“Pre-Thanksgiving-Dinner Cousin Walk,” one Instagram ad for Jif peanut butter read last year over a picture of a guy holding open his jacket with a Jif squeeze pouch tucked inside.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025

Judah Cousin, 19, said male pattern baldness caused him to withdraw from family and friends and that his life was "controlled" by the condition.

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2025

Cousin Rashad Wadood, the son of sister Aneesah Wadood, went to Lakewood, played with Cooper Kupp at Eastern Washington, and at 32 is a rising assistant coach with Oregon handling cornerbacks.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 9, 2025

They had all tried, and they had lost, and they were going to have to make the best of it with Cousin Eunice.

From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt

Mohammed, a 27-year-old plumber, similarly feared for his two cousins, aged 18 and 22, who managed to cross into Ceuta.

From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026

To compete with their inboard cousins, outboards had to become more powerful without adding so much weight that they threw off the boat’s balance.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

I don’t even remember any of us ever owning a soccer ball — and I have nearly 100 cousins.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

Curators hope they can be used to help save their cousins in the wild.

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026

Together the cousins vroomed around the lobby, down the long hall and back, faster than Ralph could have driven alone.

From "Ralph S. Mouse" by Beverly Cleary

Related Words

• relative