51Թ

Advertisement

Advertisement

View synonyms for

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

/ ˈʌŋə /

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
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Discover More

Other 51Թ Forms

  • ܲc· adjective
  • ܲc·󾱱 noun
Discover More

51Թ 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 )
Discover More

51Թ History and Origins

Origin of uncle1

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

Idioms and Phrases

  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 .
Discover More

Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Soon after that, his brother and sister were sent to live with their uncle in California, while Rafael — or Rafa as his siblings call him — remained the ward of an orphanage in Mexico.

From

According to the eight-year-old's uncle, she was taken from her home in the city of Bosaso last September by a female relative.

From

The death was a chilling warning from the cartel, said Johnnie, an uncle who didn’t want to be identified because he feared for his life.

From

"You get this premier brand at a lower price, and every Nigerian has an aunt or uncle in Lagos" who can be a guardian, he adds.

From

For many, it’s the condiment equivalent of an unfashionable uncle at a wedding — always present, but never the center of attention.

From

Advertisement

Related 51Թs

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.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement