uncle

[ uhng-kuhl ]

noun

1. a brother of one's father or mother.
2. an aunt's husband.
3. a familiar title or term of address for any elderly man.
4. Slang. a pawnbroker.
5. (initial capital letter) Informal. Uncle Sam ( def ).
6. a word formerly used in communications to represent the letter U.

uncle

/ ˈʌŋkəl /

noun

1. a brother of one's father or mother
2. the husband of one's aunt
3. a term of address sometimes used by children for a male friend of their parents
4. slang.
   a pawnbroker

Other Words From

• uncle·less adjective
• uncle·ship noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of uncle¹

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 )

Word History and Origins

Origin of uncle¹

C13: from Old French oncle, from Latin avunculus; related to Latin avus grandfather

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. say / cry uncle, Informal. to concede defeat:

   They ganged up on him in the schoolyard and made him say uncle.

More idioms and phrases containing uncle

see cry uncle ; Dutch uncle .

Example Sentences

His mother took him and his two siblings to live with their uncle, John Mercer, a wealthy lawyer who owned one of the largest libraries in Virginia.

From Ozy

Moreno publicly criticized Mariela Castro after she evoked her to defend the 1959 Cuban revolution that brought her uncle, Fidel Castro, to power.

From Washington Blade

According to Thurmond’s testimony, Ellis and Montgomery’s uncle, James Timothy Norman, met at a club where she danced and were previously intimate.

From Essence.com

It was her uncle, Alfredo, who sold me our place nearly 20 years ago.

From Fortune

The ruse was up when the family moved back to Nigeria, and Oyelowo saw that many of his uncles had the same marks.

From Ozy

Same with my uncle and cousins when their planes landed from Vietnam.

From The Daily Beast

The young Jordanian pilot comes from a well-known military family in the kingdom and his uncle is a retired major general.

From The Daily Beast

It reminds me of an uncle of mine who said the London Blitz was irritating.

From The Daily Beast

The uncle told RTL radio Hauchard called his grandmother, ostensibly from Syria, on Nov. 2, for her birthday.

From The Daily Beast

Kim Jong Un, who assumed power on the death of his father, had given uncle Jang nearly free rein to handle relations with Beijing.

From The Daily Beast

The strains of the syren at last woke her uncle, and brought back Miss Hood, who suggested that it was late.

From Project Gutenberg

“It means, my dear, that the Dragoons and the 60th will have to teach these impudent rebels a much-needed lesson,” said her uncle.

From Project Gutenberg

He could not bear to open his dreadful situation to his Uncle David, nor to kill himself, nor to defy the vengeance of Longcluse.

From Project Gutenberg

Out gets Uncle David, looking brown and healthy after his northern excursion.

From Project Gutenberg

Uncle David nodded, and waved his hand, as on entering the door he gave them a farewell smile over his shoulder.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• aunt
• cousin
• father
• folk
• mother
• niece
• sibling