native son

¹ American  

noun

1. a person born in a particular place.

   The delegation from Iowa nominated a native son.

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Native Son ² American  

noun

1. a novel (1940) by Richard Wright.

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Native Son Cultural  

1. (1940) A novel by African-American author Richard Wright about a young black man whose life is destroyed by poverty and racism.

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Etymology

Origin of native son

An Americanism dating back to 1825–35

Example Sentences

In Puerto Rico, a US territory since 1898, there was nothing but pride for the island's native son.

From Barron's • Feb. 9, 2026

The 44-year-old mayor, married with two young children, spoke in his third-floor office of Minneapolis’ granite City Hall whose entrance features a statue of native son and liberal champion Hubert Humphrey.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 26, 2026

Angeli-Chansley was a true native son of the district, he told me, though its exact confines have changed somewhat during his near four decades of life because of redistricting.

From Slate • Jul. 30, 2024

San Franciscans forever afterward treated the singer as a native son.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 21, 2023

The excitement was in part due to Bush’s being something of a native son.

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger