nephew

noun

neph·​ew ˈne-(ˌ)fyü How to pronounce nephew (audio)
chiefly British -(ˌ)vyü
plural nephews
1
: a son of one's brother, sister, brother-in-law, or sister-in-law
2
obsolete : a lineal (see lineal sense 3) descendant
especially : grandson

Examples of nephew in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The male-only succession rule means the line must move to the emperor’s younger brother Akishino, then to his 20-year-old nephew Prince Hisahito. — Mari Yamaguchi, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026 Ashby, the nephew of former major-league pitcher Andy Ashby, had 116 strikeouts in 89 1/3 innings during the regular season with four saves. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 23 Oct. 2026 Quite a few of those seeds were planted by Uncle Tim, my mom’s younger brother, who would enthusiastically play almost any game with his nieces and nephews … and never pulled any punches. — Sean McGowan, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2026 Eisenkot, who lost a son and two nephews to fighting in Gaza, has been particularly unsparing in his criticism, repeatedly hammering Netanyahu for refusing to take any accountability for the calamity. — Aluf Benn, Foreign Affairs, 23 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for nephew

Word History

Etymology

Middle English nevew, from Anglo-French nevou, neveu, from Latin nepot-, nepos grandson, nephew; akin to Old English nefa grandson, nephew, Sanskrit napāt grandson

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of nephew was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing nephew

Browse Nearby Words

nepheloscope
nephew
nephewship
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Cite this Entry

“Nephew.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nephew. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Kids Definition

nephew

noun
neph·​ew ˈnef-yü How to pronounce nephew (audio)
: a son of one's brother, sister, brother-in-law, or sister-in-law

More from Merriam-Webster on nephew

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about nephew

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