uncle

noun

un·​cle ˈəŋ-kəl How to pronounce uncle (audio)
1
a
: the brother of one's father or mother
b
: the husband of one's aunt or uncle
2
: one who helps, advises, or encourages
3
—used as a cry of surrender
was forced to cry/say uncle [=was forced to surrender]
4
Uncle : uncle sam

Examples of uncle in a Sentence

I have three uncles and two aunts. My Uncle David is visiting next week.
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.
Jewelry, his uncle could actually help guide, as there was considerable family experience. — Stephan Rabimov, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026 Though Anderson has long been suspected of being the gunman who fired the fatal shots that killed Shakur, his uncle, Davis, who was seated in the white Cadillac, had also been implicated in the drive-by shooting. — Marlow Stern, Variety, 10 Aug. 2026 Remember that uncertain girl who married her uncle Daemon Targaryen those many years ago? — Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2026 After Kim Jong Un became North Korea’s leader, in late 2011, the country’s relations with China plummeted because of disagreements over Pyongyang’s actions, including Kim’s pursuit of nuclear weapons and the arrest and execution of Kim’s uncle. — Zheng Jiyong, Foreign Affairs, 10 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for uncle

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin avunculus mother's brother; akin to Old English ēam uncle, Welsh ewythr, Latin avus grandfather

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of uncle was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing uncle

Rhymes for uncle

See All Rhymes for uncle

Browse Nearby Words

unclassified
uncle
unclean
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Uncle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/uncle. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

uncle

noun
un·​cle ˈəŋ-kəl How to pronounce uncle (audio)
1
: the brother of one's father or mother
2
: the husband of one's aunt or uncle

More from Merriam-Webster on uncle

Nglish: Translation of uncle for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about uncle

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of vacuous

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All