nephew
Americannoun
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nephews
plural
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a son of one's brother or sister.
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a son of one's spouse's brother or sister.
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an illegitimate son of a clergyman who has vowed celibacy (used as a euphemism).
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Obsolete. a direct descendant, especially a grandson.
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Obsolete. a remote male descendant, as a grandnephew or cousin.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of nephew
1250–1300; Middle English neveu < Old French < Latin nepōtem, accusative of nepōs nephew, grandson; akin to Old English nefa, Dutch neef, German Neffe, Old Norse nefi; the pseudo-etymological spelling with ph has influenced pronunciation
Explanation
A nephew is the son of your sibling. This makes you the aunt or uncle of that nephew. While a mom, dad, sister, and brother are members of an immediate family, a nephew is part of your extended family because he's the son of a sibling. When brothers or sisters have male children, you become an aunt or an uncle to a nephew. If your nephew has a sister, she is your niece. Both niece and nephew originally meant "grandchild," but narrowed to their current meanings in the 1600s.
Vocabulary lists containing nephew
It's All in the Family
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Unit 20, Lessons 1–2
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Charlene remembered her nephew as a source of happiness in her home, a cheerful presence who once used his allowance to buy his mother a stuffed unicorn.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
She was struck by the Roebucks’ initial identification of their nephew Jeramy, the pill bottle of Jeramy’s left at the crime scene, and the absence of concrete evidence tying Walters to the crime.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
Randy Delos Santos, who lost his teenage nephew in 2017, told AFP he was happy to see Duterte in court, adding: "We hope that his being physically fit will help speed up the hearings."
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
That season soon had many fans wondering whether the expectations for Manning—the nephew of NFL legends Peyton and Eli and grandson of College Football Hall of Famer Archie Manning—amounted to nothing more than empty hype.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
“My husband’s niece and nephew from Texas,” she told him.
From "Lupita Mañana" by Patricia Beatty
A relative suggested they move to South Florida and enroll their children in the Jewish day school Mrs. Kashani’s nieces and nephews attended.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026
But the house where he lived with his siblings and nephews was reduced to pieces by the quake.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
Andrew's sister Chloe and nephews Lewis and Lucas said he was "the best role model", and his partner Kiera said "I am so lost now".
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
I own my home outright, have no children or other dependents, and my closest relatives are my siblings, nieces and nephews.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
And more frames hold relatives at balloon- filled birthdays and First Communions and baptisms—parents and sisters and brothers and nieces and nephews, all arm in arm, fitting together perfectly.
From "The Queen of Water" by Laura Resau
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
