aunt
Americannoun
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the sister of one's father or mother.
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the wife of one's uncle.
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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.)
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Slang. an aging gay man.
noun
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a sister of one's father or mother
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the wife of one's uncle
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a term of address used by children for any woman, esp for a friend of the parents
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an exclamation of surprise or amazement
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
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
By the time Eddie L. Orum III took on the responsibility of caring for his aging mom and aunt about nine years ago, he had retired from his career as a high-school teacher and principal.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 23, 2026
As would “Little Bear Ridge Road,” Samuel D. Hunter’s savagely unsentimental study of an estranged aunt and nephew picking through the wreckage of their family history.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026
My son is buying his first home, and his grandmother, aunt and I are giving him $20,000 for the down payment.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 2, 2026
Psychotherapist and TV agony aunt Philippa Perry says she is delighted to "finally join the murder mystery club" after publishing her debut crime novel.
From BBC • Jun. 2, 2026
“Your aunt is helping with my resume,” Dad says.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
