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great-uncle

American  
[greyt-uhng-kuhl] / ˈgreɪtˌʌŋ kəl /

noun

great-uncles plural
  1. a granduncle.


great-uncle British  

noun

  1. an uncle of one's father or mother; brother of one's grandfather or grandmother

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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Example Sentences

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While his father had little interest in education, Marcus found academic inspiration in two uncles who were doctors, a great-uncle who could speak nine languages and, mostly, his mother.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 17, 2026

Her principles are based on the philosophy practiced by the Indian guru Meher Baba, her husband’s great-uncle, whose byword was empathy.

From The Wall Street Journal Apr. 10, 2026

So far, "Sinners" is perhaps his most personal project -- sparked by wanting to learn more about a great-uncle who had introduced him to the blues and was from Mississippi.

From Barron's Mar. 16, 2026

My great-uncle, a traditional yellow-dog Democrat who was born during the Depression and named for Franklin Roosevelt, predicted approvingly that Jackson would “light a fire” under the audience.

From Salon Feb. 19, 2026

Number 4: the tall, derelict bird’s nest of a house owned by her great-uncle Etienne.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

They were parents, grandparents, great-aunts and great-uncles, ranging in age from their 50s to their 80s and beyond, and together they braved frigid temperatures to protest all through the night, and to rock.

From New York Times Mar. 21, 2023

Volodymyr Zelensky has often told his "story of four brothers" - his grandfather and three great-uncles - all of whom fought in the Soviet Army against Nazi Germany.

From BBC Mar. 2, 2022

“My great-uncles were four-man pilots. My dad was training, he was an Olympic hopeful, in four-man. I don’t know. Maybe it’s just in my DNA.”

From Seattle Times Feb. 17, 2022

One of my great-uncles tried to convince people he’d found a volcano in the swamps of Wakulla County.

From Washington Post Apr. 22, 2020

Her great-uncles wool coat hangs from the hook in the foyer; she puts it on.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

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