son

1 of 2

noun

ˈsən

Synonyms of son

: a human male offspring especially of human beings

: a male adopted child

: a human male descendant

Son : the second person of the Trinity

: a person closely associated with or deriving from a formative agent (such as a nation, school, or race)

sonhood

ˈsən-ˌhu̇d

noun

son-

2 of 2

combining form

variants or sono-

: sound

sonic

sonogram

Examples of son in a Sentence

Noun 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

His mother was fired from the Johnson County jail after allegedly checking the system to see whether warrants existed for her son and his wife. — Marvin Hurst, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026 Rahman, the son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and Hasina’s archrival, came to power with a landslide victory in February under a vote overseen by Yunus’ interim administration. — CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026 Parson’s son Tucker passed for 2,698 yards and 34 touchdowns as a Rockmart freshman last season. — Todd Holcomb, AJC.com, 6 Aug. 2026 Her son just finished up a section about calling 911 and emergencies in pre-school, so the event was particularly appropriate. — Jesse Wright, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for son

Word History

Etymology

Noun

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

Combining form

Latin sonus sound

First Known Use

Noun

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

Time Traveler

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

See more words from the same century

Browse Nearby Words

-somus

son

son-

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Son.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/son. Accessed 6 Aug. 2026.

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Kids Definition

son

noun

ˈsən

: a male offspring especially of human parents

: a human male descendant

capitalized : the second person of the Trinity

: a man or boy closely associated with or thought of as a child of something (as a country, race, or religion)

son

noun

combining form

Examples of son in a Sentence

Word History

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

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son

noun

combining form

Examples of son in a Sentence

Word History

Phrases Containing son

Rhymes for son

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

More from Merriam-Webster on son

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

torpor

Popular in Grammar & Usage

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

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How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Popular

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

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It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Games & Quizzes