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• native son
  native son

  noun

  a person born in a particular place.
• Native Son
  Native Son

  noun

  a novel (1940) by Richard Wright.

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

See Examples For:

native son Native Son

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

“Devoted to family and the Chicago Blackhawks, Rocky was a native son of Chicago and an accomplished businessman,” Bettman said.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 25, 2023

In Cleveland, the city that claimed Garfield as its native son, cannons were fired once an hour throughout the night.

From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow

He’s since covered pop culture for dozens of outlets and in 2016 founded Native Son, an advocacy group focused on uplifting and connecting queer Black men.

From New York Times ● Sep. 16, 2022

The exchange between keeping it street and enlightenment was also displayed in Richard Wright's "Native Son."

From Salon ● Dec. 20, 2020

Wright was hurt when Baldwin declared his independence from the protest tradition by denouncing Native Son.

From The New Yorker ● Nov. 26, 2019

Among the group was KiKi Layne, who has gone on to star in the movies If Beale Street Could Talk and Native Son.

From Slate ● Apr. 23, 2019

For example, the entire guilt theme that runs through Native Son was woven in after the first draft was written.

From "Native Son" by Richard Wright