son

1 of 2

noun

1
a
: a human male offspring especially of human beings
b
: a male adopted child
c
: a human male descendant
2
capitalized : the second person of the Trinity
3
: a person closely associated with or deriving from a formative agent (such as a nation, school, or race)
sonhood noun

son-

2 of 2

combining form

variants or sono-
: sound
sonic
sonogram

Examples of son in a Sentence

Noun She gave birth to a son. They have two sons and a daughter. He is the son of a lawyer and a doctor. the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit
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.
Noun
In the years following his death, his mother Voletta dedicated herself to preserving her son’s legacy. Shirley Halperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Feb. 2025 Hayes had previously criticized Embiid for not being prepared for the season in a column published in October that referenced Embiid’s late brother Arthur and his 4-year-old son. Kevin Dotson, CNN, 28 Feb. 2025 The son of a Russian oligarch, Vanya is immature, perpetually stoned, and supposed to be using his time in the States to study. Randall Colburn, EW.com, 28 Feb. 2025 The issue first reared its head last week when an investigative journalist unearthed that one of the doc’s narrators was the son of a Hamas minister. Max Goldbart, Deadline, 28 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for son

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English sone, from Old English sunu; akin to Old High German sun son, Greek hyios

Combining form

Latin sonus sound

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of son was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Son.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/son. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

son

noun
1
a
: a male offspring especially of human parents
b
: a human male descendant
2
capitalized : the second person of the Trinity
3
: a man or boy closely associated with or thought of as a child of something (as a country, race, or religion)

More from Merriam-Webster on son

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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