uncle

American  

[uhng-kuhl] / ˈʌŋ kəl /

noun

• uncles
  plural

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

Derived Forms

• uncleship
  noun
• uncleless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• uncles
  plural

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 ( see homunculus)

Explanation

Your uncle is your parent's brother, or the man who marries one of your parent's siblings. Your favorite uncle might teach you to play chess or take you to amusement parks. Usually, an uncle is a relative — the brother of your mother, for example, or your dad's step-brother. It's also common in many cultures to have honorary uncles who are close family friends. From your uncle's perspective, you are either his niece or nephew. Colloquially, when you say or cry uncle, you're admitting defeat: "I'll let go of your arm when you say uncle!"

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

uncle uncles

In a statement issued by his publisher Simon & Schuster UK, Prof Arday's family said they were "in shock to have lost this amazing father, partner, brother, uncle and son".

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

Negotiations with the Lakers ceased when Leonard’s uncle, Dennis Robertson, requested a house, the use of private aircraft, guaranteed off-court earnings and an ownership stake in the team, according to Dan Woike of the Athletic.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026

The niece was watching the World Cup on TV in Queens when she heard from a friend that her uncle had "burned himself" in front of the United Nations in Manhattan.

From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026

No matter what, the stock market has been showering investors with wealth like a crazy rich uncle who can’t stop spoiling all the kids in the family.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

We would marry quickly and quietly, and after the deed was done, Olka would tell her uncle.

From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman

Zhu grew up near Hunan province’s capital Changsha and was raised by uncles, since he never knew his father and his mother died before he turned 10.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

According to Ugen and Choedup, one of his uncles died in combat and another in prison after his capture while fighting for Chushi Gangdruk, an anti-China guerrilla force established with CIA support in 1958.

From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026

After her mother’s death, she began working with her father, Salvador, and her uncles at the family’s apiary, where they managed more than 30 hives.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026

Having already picked up percussion, she was eventually able to sit in and play with them alongside her father and uncles.

From Salon ● Jun. 18, 2026

This was when the Persian Empire was so big that uncles and princes each got their own countries to play with.

From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri

Related Words

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