aunt

American  

[ant, ahnt] / ænt, ɑnt /

noun

• aunts
  plural

1. the sister of one's father or mother.

2. the wife of one's uncle.

3. Chiefly New England and South Midland U.S. (used as a term of respectful address to an older woman who is not related to the speaker.)

4. Slang. an aging gay man.

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aunt British  

/ ɑːnt /

noun

1. a sister of one's father or mother

2. the wife of one's uncle

3. a term of address used by children for any woman, esp for a friend of the parents

4. an exclamation of surprise or amazement

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Pronunciation

The usual vowel of aunt in the United States is the of rant except in New England and eastern Virginia, where it is commonly the “New England broad a, ” a vowel similar to French and having a quality between the of hat and the of car. The vowel itself is also used. In New England and eastern Virginia or the -like sound occur in aunt in the speech of all social groups, even where a “broad a ” is not used in words like dance and laugh. Elsewhere, the “broader” a is chiefly an educated pronunciation, fostered by the schools with only partial success (“Your relative isn't an insect, is she?”), and is sometimes regarded as an affectation. Aunt with the vowel of paint is chiefly South Midland United States and is limited to folk speech. The pronunciation of aunt was brought to America before British English developed the in such words as aunt, dance, and laugh. In American English, is most common in the areas that maintained the closest cultural ties with England after the pronunciation developed there in these words.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• auntlike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• aunts
  plural

Etymology

Origin of aunt

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English aunte, from Anglo-French, equivalent to Old French ante, from Latin amita “father's sister,” old feminine past participle of amāre “to love,” i.e., “beloved”

Explanation

If you have an aunt, she would be your dad's sister or your mom's sister, or the woman who's married to your parent's sibling. Your uncle is a brother to your mom or dad. Maybe your favorite aunt, Beatrice, sends you a birthday card stuffed with money each year. First used around the 13th century, the noun aunt comes from the Latin word amita, meaning "paternal aunt." The woman who's your aunt is usually older than you are and is also the mother of your cousins. So you may remember your uncle bringing his wife Genevieve — who is also your aunt — and their children Margot and Charlie — your cousins — over for Thanksgiving dinner.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

aunt aunts

I refused to believe them, and must have been strident enough that my aunt asked my mom if she’d allow me to witness her prepare the chicken casserole she planned to serve that night.

From Salon ● Aug. 7, 2026

She and her brother were raised by her mother and aunt in White Plains, N.Y.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

At times in 2024, when Hernandez was living with her aunt in Los Angeles, Burke would come by the home to pick the teen up for dates.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

However, an inheritance from an aunt or uncle should generally be viewed as a gift — even an unexpected one — and not an expectation.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026

A local could tell her how to get back on the road and get to her aunt and uncle’s house and get to frying.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

There is no social contract requiring aunts and uncles to divide their estates equally among their nieces and nephews, but unequal inheritances can still pack an unintentional emotional punch.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026

Leah, 54, remembers bringing up the subject of menopause to her mother and aunts, to their horror.

From Salon ● Jun. 14, 2026

Although he kept contact with his father while in care, his coordinator helped him establish relationships with his wider family, including aunts, uncles, cousins and a half-sister.

From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026

Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest will reprise their roles as Frances and Jet Owens, the aunts who raised Sally and Gillian.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 20, 2026

Nollie and Willem had had homes of their own many years now, and Mama and the aunts were dead, but still I seemed to see them here.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

Related Words

• cousin
• father
• folk
• mother
• niece
• sibling
• uncle