nephew

noun

neph·​ew ˈne-(ˌ)fyü 

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

The film, which stars Jackson’s nephew, Jaafar Jackson, as the late singer, chronicles the pop star’s rise from his early days in the Jackson 5 through the growth of his solo career. —Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2026

The film, which stars Jackson's real-life nephew Jaafar Jackson as the iconic singer, earned $97 million domestically in its opening weekend, USA TODAY previously reported. —Kate Perez, USA Today, 28 Apr. 2026

Edward Bernays, also from Vienna and a nephew of Sigmund Freud, published a 1920s book called Propaganda. —Literary Hub, 27 Apr. 2026

However, Bryant’s uncle, Raymond Bryant, testified during the other men’s criminal trial that his nephew had confessed to the shooting. —Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 27 Apr. 2026

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

Phrases Containing nephew

• great-nephew

Kids Definition

nephew

noun

neph·​ew ˈnef-yü 

: a son of one's brother, sister, brother-in-law, or sister-in-law