son
noun
a male child or person in relation to his parents.
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son
1 American
[suhn]
/ sʌn /
noun
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a male child or person in relation to his parents.
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a male child or person adopted as a son; a person in the legal position of a son.
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any male descendant.
a son of the Aztecs.
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a son-in-law.
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a person related as if by ties of sonship.
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a male person looked upon as the product or result of particular agencies, forces, influences, etc..
a true son of the soil.
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a familiar term of address to a man or boy from an older person, an ecclesiastic, etc.
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the Son, the second person of the Trinity; Jesus Christ.
son-
2
American
son
1
British
/ sʌn /
noun
-
a male offspring; a boy or man in relation to his parents
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a male descendant
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(often capital) a familiar term of address for a boy or man
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a male from a certain country, place, etc, or one closely connected with a certain environment
a son of the circus
a son of the manse
Son
2
British
/ sʌn /
noun
son
Idioms
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of son
before 900; Middle English sone, Old English sunu; cognate with Dutch zoon, German Sohn, Old Norse sunr, sonr, Gothic sunus, Lithuanian sūnùs, Sanskrit sūnus; akin to Greek huiós
Explanation
Anyone can call a boy son, but technically, your son has to be your male child. If you're male, you are your parents' son. Well done, son! You can use the noun son for non-human animals too: "Our cat had six kittens, five daughters and one son." But it's far more likely that you'll describe human offspring as sons or daughters. Family names (or surnames) in many cultures include son or son of, like "Jefferson" or "Wilson," originally "son of Jeffrey" and "son of William."
Vocabulary lists containing son
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.
The owner was the kindest man I had ever met and his son followed in his footsteps.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026
"I feel calm for our country, it is powerful," Olga Nikolenko, a speech therapist who travelled from the southern city of Stavropol to watch her son march in the parade, said.
From Barron's • May 7, 2026
Conservationist Robert Irwin, the son of Steve Irwin, made the announcement from the zoo in Queensland in a joint Instagram post with the Wales family.
From BBC • May 7, 2026
Authorities allege she fled to China with the couple’s young son shortly before Zhu’s arrest, according to federal court records.
From Los Angeles Times • May 7, 2026
“I understand. We won’t get in your way, and I’ll help any way I can, but I want to be honest. A father trying to save his son in a hurricane is a good story.”
From "Storm Runners" by Roland Smith
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.
