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• 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.

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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.

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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

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Cousin ² British  

/ kuzɛ̃ /

noun

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

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cousin Idioms  

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

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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

She discovered new details about how her cousin lived, and his cause of death.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

Chitewere's son, who would have turned 23, left with a cousin in April from a remote village in eastern Zimbabwe where he had been living with his grandmother.

From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026

Woodley’s work was informed by a cousin who’s a midwife, friends who are parents and a few births she’s attended.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

Gerben, 43, plays Shane’s cousin, a manager named Will.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

Barnum’s Hotel was owned by a distant cousin of P. T. Barnum and not Barnum himself.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

Lead lecturer Hugo Cousin, 25, says the course is designed to bridge the gap between a hobby and a professional career.

From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026

The research focused on the Seychelles warbler, a small songbird that lives on Cousin Island in the Seychelles.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 13, 2026

Cousin Jake is a bit faster in the open field and a bit less interested in the mac ‘n’ cheese in the kitchen.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 26, 2025

Cousin Yasmeen Elagha, a law student at Northwestern University, said Israeli forces entered the family home in the communityof al-Muwasi, near the southern city of Khan Younis, around 5 a.m.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 8, 2024

If Cousin Eunice didn’t help them, they would have to go to the police.

From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt

Like many Zimbabweans facing bleak economic prospects at home, the cousins were chasing better opportunities, in a story echoed across the continent.

From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 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

She still urges friends and cousins to apply for MTA jobs because of the benefits.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

“Mikhail! You’re going to get your cousins all riled up before dinner! Put them—” She stopped midsentence when she saw Anya.

From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack

Related Words

• relative