uncle
noun /ˈʌŋkl/
/ˈʌŋkl/
Idioms - Uncle Ian
- I'm going to visit my uncle.
- a maternal/paternal uncle (= related through the mother’s/father's side of the family)
- I've just become an uncle (= because my brother/sister has had a baby).
- uncle to somebody Joey was like an uncle to us.
- He was the youngest son of Edward III and uncle to Richard II.
- The celebrant of the Mass was Rev. Martin Doyle, uncle of the bride.
Extra ExamplesTopics Family and relationshipsa1- He looks so much like his late uncle.
- The boss smiled at us all like a benevolent uncle.
- the fortune left to her by her dead uncle
- my favourite uncle
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- beloved
- favourite/favorite
- rich
- …
- used by children, with a first name, to address a man who is a close friend of their parentsTopics Family and relationshipsb2
- (Indian English, South-East Asian English) used as a polite way of addressing or referring to an older man
- The uncle who lives opposite my parents is always so warm and friendly.
/ˈʌŋkldʒi//ˈʌŋkldʒi/.
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French oncle, from late Latin aunculus, alteration of Latin avunculus ‘maternal uncle’, diminutive of avus ‘grandfather’.
Idioms
Bob’s your uncle
- (British English, informal) used to say how easy and quick it is to do a particular task
- Press here and Bob's your uncle! It's disappeared.