first cousin

American  

noun

1. cousin.

2. anything or anyone closely related to or resembling another.

   The film producer tried not to make the movie a first cousin to his last hit.

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first cousin Idioms  

1. A close relation or resemblance to someone or something, as in This new machine is a first cousin to the previous model. The figurative use of cousin, which literally means “the child of one's aunt or uncle,” dates from the 1300s.

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Etymology

Origin of first cousin

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

It wasn’t the first time that Huang had snubbed Su, who is also his first cousin, once removed.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026

He is a first cousin, three times removed, of Sir Winston Churchill and a distant relative of the late Princess Diana through the Spencer family.

From BBC • Dec. 17, 2025

The genetic analysis identified her as my father’s first cousin once removed and my own second cousin, narrowing the search to my grandfather’s siblings and their children.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 5, 2025

After adjusting to the shock, Monahan embraced the news, using 23andMe to meet relatives she never knew she had, including a first cousin and four half-siblings.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 29, 2025

At one time it was discovered that she was writing letters to the Bishop, whom she claimed as a first cousin, but it was never said whether she received any reply.

From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez