uncle
Americannoun
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a brother of one's father or mother.
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an aunt's husband.
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a familiar title or term of address for any elderly man.
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Slang. a pawnbroker.
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(initial capital letter) Uncle Sam.
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a word formerly used in communications to represent the letter U.
idioms
noun
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a brother of one's father or mother
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the husband of one's aunt
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a term of address sometimes used by children for a male friend of their parents
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slang a pawnbroker
Other Word Forms
- uncleless adjective
- uncleship noun
Etymology
Origin of uncle
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Anglo-French uncle, Old French oncle, from Latin avunculus “mother's brother,” equivalent to av(us) “mother's father” + -unculus suffix extracted from diminutives of n-stems ( homunculus )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The unmistakably pompous uncle of the female lead flipped the table, throwing everything on it into the air.
From BBC
Born in Oklahoma on “a little cotton-picking town between Tulsa and Muskogee,” Releford was raised on a farm by his parents, grandparents and uncle.
From Los Angeles Times
Other spirit visitors included a deceased brother, grandparents, uncles, and cousins from George’s and Sarah’s families.
From Literature
“Is that what your daft uncle did?” asked Duane, genuinely curious.
From Literature
After Brooklyn, the family moved to New Jersey, where Jean built a makeshift studio in his uncle’s basement.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
