How to Use first cousin in a Sentence

first cousin

noun
  • Her mom, my first cousin, was always like a cool auntie to me.
    — Kathleen Newman-Bremang, refinery29.com, 28 Oct. 2021
  • Your cousin’s daughter’s son is your first cousin twice removed.
    — Lillian Stone, The New Yorker, 2 Dec. 2024
  • One of the county’s two deaths was his father-in-law’s first cousin.
    — Washington Post, 20 Aug. 2020
  • Robin and Tiffany were first cousins and the two youngest in the family.
    — Michael Harriot, The Root, 15 May 2018
  • Doyle and her team looked again at the maternal first cousin once removed.
    — Sarah Weinman, Rolling Stone, 1 Dec. 2024
  • This means that Chapman has played his own first cousin, once removed.
    — Megan Friedman, Cosmopolitan, 14 June 2016
  • Brandi and George were first cousins who shared the same birthday, five years apart.
    — Michael Gordon, Charlotte Observer, 17 Jan. 2025
  • Crime is the first cousin to immigration.
    — Alex Gangitano, The Hill, 24 Aug. 2025
  • Dana Brouillette, a first cousin of Laborde, was there that day.
    — Christina Carrega, CNN, 5 Jan. 2021
  • Jack’s son was also named Tim Mara, and was John’s first cousin.
    — Mike Lupica, New York Daily News, 3 Jan. 2026
  • If hip hop is Afrobeats’ first cousin, then Fela is its godfather.
    — Obi Asika, semafor.com, 6 Feb. 2026
  • The genetic markers in your body are closer to those of your first cousin than your third.
    — Nicholas Thompson, Wired, 2 Nov. 2020
  • Bill Coleman, John’s first cousin, was killed during the war.
    — Alex Kingsbury, BostonGlobe.com, 10 May 2018
  • The bride's father, Prince Michael of Kent, is the queen's first cousin.
    — Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, 18 May 2019
  • Greco, for one, had an early look at the skillset of Lazzaro, his first cousin.
    — BostonGlobe.com, 10 May 2021
  • Same for his first cousin, Reginald, and same for Earl’s son and grandsons.
    — Cynthia Greenlee, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Jan. 2023
  • His is a first cousin of legendary country singer Charley Pride, who passed away late last year.
    — Lici Beveridge, USA Today, 17 Feb. 2021
  • In late June, Blair traveled to Georgia with two first cousins.
    — Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 8 Aug. 2025
  • Lady Pamela, now 93 years old, is Prince Philip's first cousin.
    — Town & Country, 29 Nov. 2022
  • Laster’s grandfather was a first cousin to Bass, who died in 2009.
    — Kyle Neddenriep, Indianapolis Star, 24 Mar. 2018
  • Siblings Brandy and Ray J are first cousins with Snoop Dogg.
    — Grace Gavilanes, PEOPLE, 19 Apr. 2026
  • The three were joined by the Queen's first cousin, Princess Alexandra (not pictured).
    — Emily Burack, Town & Country, 18 May 2022
  • Bill Crown is Jim Crown’s first cousin, according to Bloomberg.
    — Peter Breen, Chicago Tribune, 24 Jan. 2025
  • The duke is the queen’s first cousin and a full-time working member of the British royal family.
    — Washington Post, 16 Apr. 2021
  • The testing linked the body to a first cousin of Rodriguez, authorities said.
    — From Usa Today Network and Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 27 May 2022
  • Maria Shriver is the first cousin of Caroline Kennedy.
    — Emma Banks, InStyle, 27 Feb. 2026
  • Penelope Knatchbull is 32 years younger than Philip and the wife of his first cousin, once removed.
    — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 2 May 2026
  • My first cousins and their dad, Stanley Drescher, had clocks made all over the town where the Zaslav kids lived.
    — Katie Kilkenny, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Dec. 2023
  • Lady Gabriella is the daughter of Prince Michael of Kent, who is first cousins with the queen.
    — Nicole Saunders, Harper's BAZAAR, 21 May 2019
  • Richard is Queen Elizabeth's first cousin and 32nd in the line of succession.
    — Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 21 Apr. 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'first cousin.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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