son

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈsən How to pronounce son (audio)
Synonyms of sonnext
1
a
: a human male offspring especially of human beings
b
: a male adopted child
c
: a human male descendant
2
Son : the second person of the Trinity
3
: a person closely associated with or deriving from a formative agent (such as a nation, school, or race)
sonhood
ˈsən-ˌhu̇d How to pronounce son (audio)
noun

son-

2 of 3

combining form

variants or sono-
: sound
sonic
sonogram

sone

3 of 3

noun (2)

ˈsōn How to pronounce sone (audio)
: a subjective unit of loudness for an average listener equal to the loudness of a 1000-hertz sound that has an intensity 40 decibels above the listener's own threshold of hearing

Examples of son in a Sentence

Noun (1) She gave birth to a son. They have two sons and a daughter. He is the son of a lawyer and a doctor. the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit
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.
Noun
Spoelstra and May became even closer when the Heat hired his son, Jack May, as a video room intern a few years ago. — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 27 Oct. 2026 His character was the son of his original series character; the name Anton was chosen to honor Anton Yelchin, who played Chekov in the 2010s Star Trek movies and died in a 2016 accident. — Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 26 Oct. 2026 Bolsonaro is the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, whom Lula defeated to take the presidency in 2022. — ElÉonore Hughes, Fortune, 26 Oct. 2026 My grandfather, then a senator in the fledgling Chinese Republic, named his son Jialu; British classmates at the Shanghai Public School pronounced the boy Morris. — Literary Hub, 26 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for son

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English sone, from Old English sunu; akin to Old High German sun son, Greek hyios

Combining form

Latin sonus sound

Noun (2)

International Scientific Vocabulary, from Latin sonus sound — more at sound entry 1

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (2)

1936, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of son was before the 12th century

Phrases Containing son

Rhymes for son

See All Rhymes for son

Browse Nearby Words

-somus
son
son-
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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

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Kids Definition

son

noun
ˈsən How to pronounce son (audio)
1
a
: a male offspring especially of human parents
b
: a human male descendant
2
capitalized : the second person of the Trinity
3
: a man or boy closely associated with or thought of as a child of something (as a country, race, or religion)

More from Merriam-Webster on son

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for son

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