son

1 of 2

noun

ˈsən How to pronounce son (audio)
Synonyms of sonnext
1
a
: a human male offspring especially of human beings
b
: a male adopted child
c
: a human male descendant
2
Son : 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
ˈsən-ˌhu̇d How to pronounce son (audio)
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
Her only son was at her bedside alone, tasked with the decision to donate her organs. — Grayson Haver Currin, Pitchfork, 20 Oct. 2026 Advertisement Ramaswamy has also struggled to navigate his identity as a Hindu and the son of immigrants from India in the modern GOP. — Philip Elliott, Time, 19 Oct. 2026 Bae Hyeon-seong plays Sun-woo in his first lead role in a feature film, and the knotty relationship between mother and son sits at the heart of the film. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 19 Oct. 2026 Following his arrest, his wife and son booked a sooner flight and immediately left the US without him. — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 19 Oct. 2026 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

Phrases Containing son

Rhymes for son

See All Rhymes for son

Browse Nearby Words

-somus
son
son-
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Son.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/son. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Kids Definition

son

noun
ˈsən How to pronounce son (audio)
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)

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