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Synonyms

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.


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

"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

uncle More Idioms  

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Chip Taylor, the songwriter behind the Troggs’ rock hit “Wild Thing” and actor Angelina Jolie’s uncle, has died.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 25, 2026

Simon recalled his uncle saying, “You can join, but I’m not really sure what you’re going to do.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

In a leaked phone conversation, Paetongtarn referred to former Cambodian leader Hun Sun as "uncle" and called a Thai military commander her "opponent", triggering public and political outrage.

From Barron's • Mar. 18, 2026

A year after Thomas’ death, when Julia was 15, she and her uncle Bernard sailed to New York and geared themselves for a fight for Thomas’ property.

From Slate • Mar. 18, 2026

“It’s just, I live with my aunt Lisa and my uncle Morris.”

From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman