the eldest

noun

—used in comparing the ages of people who are members of the same family
He's the eldest of her three brothers.

Examples of the eldest in a Sentence

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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.
In 2005, a government committee attempted to relax the law so that the eldest child of an emperor, regardless of gender, could inherit the throne. — Séraphine Roger, Vanity Fair, 26 Aug. 2026 Her style transformation dates back to at least June 2025, when the eldest of West and Kardashian’s kids debuted blue hair on her mother’s Instagram Stories. — Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 25 Aug. 2026 But their three children — the eldest a boy, and two younger girls — eagerly explore a magic tree in the English countryside, taking them to faraway lands in the clouds. — Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 21 Aug. 2026 When Abdeen, the youngest of the seven Jabara children, was born, Mymonie had been so busy caring for his siblings that Essie, the eldest, became a second mother to him. — Rozina Ali, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for the eldest

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the elderly
the eldest
the Electoral College
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Cite this Entry

“The eldest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20eldest. Accessed 28 Aug. 2026.

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