Synonyms: male child, boy, lad [informal], descendant More Synonyms of son
2. countable noun [with poss]
A man, especially a famous man, can be described as a son of the place he comes from.
[journalism]
...New Orleans's most famous son, Louis Armstrong.
...sons of Africa.
3. countable noun
Some people use son as a form of address when they are showing kindness or affection to a boy or a man who is younger than them.
[informal, feelings]
Don't be frightened by failure, son.
son in British English
(sʌn)
noun
1.
a male offspring; a boy or man in relation to his parents
2.
a male descendant
3. (often capital)
a familiar term of address for a boy or man
4.
a male from a certain country, place, etc, or one closely connected with a certain environment
a son of the circus
a son of the manse
▶ Related adjective: filial
Derived forms
sonless (ˈsonless)
adjective
sonlike (ˈsonˌlike)
adjective
Word origin
Old English sunu; related to Old Norse sunr, Gothic sunus, Old High German sunu, Lithuanian sūnus, Sanskrit sūnu
Son in British English
(sʌn)
noun
Christianity
the second person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ
son in American English
(sʌn)
noun
1.
a boy or man as he is related to either or both parents
sometimes also used of animals
2.
a male descendant
3.
a.
a stepson
b.
an adopted son
c.
a son-in-law
4.
a male thought of as having been formed by some influence, as a child is by a parent
sons of France
5.
an affectionate or familiar form of address to a boy or man, as used by an older person
Idioms:
the Son
Word origin
ME sone < OE sunu, akin to Ger sohn, Goth sunus < IE *sūnus < base *seu-, to give birth to > Sans sūyatē, (she) bears, OIr suth, birth
Examples of 'son' in a sentence
son
This time it was her son, Juliao, who occupied the foreground of her mind.
Robert Wilson THE COMPANY OF STRANGERS (2002)
For all the father knows, this letter could possibly be the last words he ever conveys to his son.
James Grippando A KING'S RANSOM (2002)
Quotations
A wise son maketh a glad father; but a foolish son is the heaviness of his motherBible: Proverbs
Like father like son
In other languages
son
British English: son /sʌn/ NOUN
A person's son is their male child.
He has a seven-year-old son.
American English: son
Arabic: اِبْن
Brazilian Portuguese: filho
Chinese: 儿子
Croatian: sin
Czech: syn
Danish: søn
Dutch: zoon
European Spanish: hijo
Finnish: poika jonkun lapsi
French: fils
German: Sohn
Greek: γιος
Italian: figlio
Japanese: 息子
Korean: 아들
Norwegian: sønn
Polish: syn
European Portuguese: filho
Romanian: fiu
Russian: сын
Latin American Spanish: hijo
Swedish: son
Thai: ลูกชาย
Turkish: oğul
Ukrainian: син
Vietnamese: con trai con đẻ
All related terms of 'son'
the Son
Jesus Christ , as the second person of the Trinity
bastard son
an illegitimate son
native son
a man native to a particular place
favorite son
(in the US) a politician popular in his home state but little admired beyond it
prodigal son
a wastrel son who was welcomed back warmly on his homecoming in repentance : Luke 15:11-32
son-in-law
Someone's son-in-law is the husband of one of their children .
son of God
an angelic being
Son of Man
a title of Jesus Christ
son of Adam
any man or boy
son et lumière
Son et lumiè re is an entertainment which is held at night in an old building such as a castle . A person describes the history of the place, and at the same time different parts of the building are brightly lit and music is played.
son of a gun
a rogue or rascal : used as a jocular form of address
stepson
Someone's stepson is a son born to their husband or wife during a previous relationship .
son of a bitch
If someone is very angry with another person, or if they want to insult them, they sometimes call them a son of a bitch .
chacun à son goût
each to his or her own taste
Wisdom of Jesus, Son of Sirach
→ Ecclesiasticus
Wisdom of Jesus, the Son of Sirach
→ the Wisdom of Jesus, the Son of Sirach
the Wisdom of Jesus, the Son of Sirach
one of the books of the Apocrypha , written around 180 bc and also called the Wisdom of Jesus , the son of Sirach
Chinese translation of 'son'
son
(sʌn)
n(c)
儿(兒)子 (érzi) (个(個), gè)
(noun)
Definition
a male offspring
He shared a pizza with his son, Laurence.
Synonyms
male child
boy
I have two boys.
lad (informal)
a lad of his age
descendant
They are descendants of the original settlers.
son and heir
related words
related adjectivefilial
Quotation
A wise son maketh a glad father; but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother [Bible: Proverbs]
proverb
Like father like son
Additional synonyms
in the sense of boy
I have two boys.
Synonyms
son
in the sense of descendant
Definition
a person or animal descended from an individual, race, or species