1
2
: one associated with or related to another : counterpart
Rural children deserve as good an education as their city cousins get.—
Benjamin Fine
Benjamin Fine3
—used as a title by a sovereign in addressing a nobleman
4
: a member of a group regarded as ethnically or culturally related
our English cousins
Examples of cousin in a Sentence
Everyone came to the wedding, including a distant cousin no one had heard from in years.
The cricket is a cousin of the grasshopper.
hurricanes and their cousins, typhoons
Recent Examples on the Web
In April of that year, a search warrant for a drug investigation of Vick's cousin Davon Boddie, resulted in authorities discovering evidence of unlawful dog fighting at one of Vick's properties in Virginia.
—Jackson Thompson, Fox News, 19 Dec. 2024
As part of an ongoing 12-year study of California ground squirrels at Briones Regional Park in Contra Costa County, researchers last summer watched as squirrels began to chase — and eat — voles, a cousin of field mice.
—Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 19 Dec. 2024
The Seidler family, which includes Seidler’s siblings, mother, widow and multiple cousins, is said to hold a stake of between 40 percent and 50 percent.
—Dennis Lin, The Athletic, 21 Dec. 2024
The quicker, easier cousins of cheese straws, these appetizers are made like slice-and-bake cookies, but packed with the savory flavor of bacon and Cheddar cheese.
—Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 21 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for cousin 
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Jackson Thompson, Fox News, 19 Dec. 2024
As part of an ongoing 12-year study of California ground squirrels at Briones Regional Park in Contra Costa County, researchers last summer watched as squirrels began to chase — and eat — voles, a cousin of field mice.
—Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 19 Dec. 2024
The Seidler family, which includes Seidler’s siblings, mother, widow and multiple cousins, is said to hold a stake of between 40 percent and 50 percent.
—Dennis Lin, The Athletic, 21 Dec. 2024
The quicker, easier cousins of cheese straws, these appetizers are made like slice-and-bake cookies, but packed with the savory flavor of bacon and Cheddar cheese.
—Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 21 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for cousin
Articles Related to cousin
Dictionary Entries Near cousin
Cite this Entry
“Cousin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cousin. Accessed 25 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cousin
noun
cous·in
ˈkəz-ᵊn 
1
a
: a child of one's uncle or aunt
b
: a relative descended from a common ancestor
2
: a member of a group regarded as ethnically or culturally related
our English cousins
Biographical Definition
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