uncle

American  

[uhng-kuhl] / ˈʌŋ kəl /

noun

1. a brother of one's father or mother.

2. an aunt's husband.

3. a familiar title or term of address for any elderly man.

4. Slang. a pawnbroker.

5. (initial capital letter) Uncle Sam.

6. a word formerly used in communications to represent the letter U.

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idioms

1. say / cry uncle, to concede defeat.

   They ganged up on him in the schoolyard and made him say uncle.

uncle British  

/ ˈʌŋkəl /

noun

1. a brother of one's father or mother

2. the husband of one's aunt

3. a term of address sometimes used by children for a male friend of their parents

4. slang a pawnbroker

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uncle More Idioms  

1. see cry uncle; Dutch uncle.

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Other Word Forms

• uncleless adjective
• uncleship noun

Etymology

Origin of uncle

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Anglo-French uncle, Old French oncle, from Latin avunculus “mother's brother,” equivalent to av(us) “mother's father” + -unculus suffix extracted from diminutives of n-stems ( homunculus )

Example Sentences

He did hilarious impressions of people like his cousin Fagin Springer, a singing evangelist from Virginia, and the tough old cowhands on his uncle’s Montana ranch.

From Los Angeles Times

Her story follows Lilia, a Tunisian living in Paris, who returns to Tunisia for her uncle's funeral.

From Barron's

Following the death of an uncle in 1884, Lord Stanley inherited the Penrhos estate in Anglesey, north Wales, where he contributed to the upkeep of local churches.

From BBC

His mother, Gloria James, supported him and advised James to listen to uncle Curt.

From Los Angeles Times

After spending nine years learning under his uncle, future Hall of Fame coach Harvey Kitani, Corey Kitani set off on his own this season, becoming the head basketball coach at Carson High.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• aunt
• cousin
• father
• folk
• mother
• niece
• sibling