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Synonyms

son

1 American  
[suhn] / sʌn /

noun

  1. a male child or person in relation to his parents.

  2. a male child or person adopted as a son; a person in the legal position of a son.

  3. any male descendant.

    a son of the Aztecs.

  4. a son-in-law.

  5. a person related as if by ties of sonship.

  6. a male person looked upon as the product or result of particular agencies, forces, influences, etc..

    a true son of the soil.

  7. a familiar term of address to a man or boy from an older person, an ecclesiastic, etc.

  8. the Son, the second person of the Trinity; Jesus Christ.

son- 2 American  

  1. variant of soni- before a vowel.

    sonance.
son 1 British  
/ sʌn /

noun

  1. a male offspring; a boy or man in relation to his parents

  2. a male descendant

  3. (often capital) a familiar term of address for a boy or man

  4. 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
"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
Son 2 British  
/ sʌn /

noun

  1. Christianity the second person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ

"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
son Idioms  

    More idioms and phrases containing son

Other Word Forms

  • sonless adjective
  • sonlike adjective

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

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 winner of “The Masked Singer,” who is married to Evan Ross, Diana Ross’ singer-actor son, was bubbly as she celebrated her victory in a post-finale interview published Wednesday night.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 2026

One of the boys who took it hid it in his loft in Ireland before confessing to his son before his death.

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026

The son of two lawyers - his mother was as senior judge - Peter Magyar also counts a former Hungarian president as his godfather, and he was very interested in politics from an early age.

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

Cliffwater executives, including Nesbitt and his son, Chief Investment Officer Blake Nesbitt, are trying to reassure clients.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

Concerned for justice or retaliation for a son or husband, rather than a whole battalion of sons or husbands?”

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

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.