son

1 of 2

noun

ˈsən 

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

ˈsən-ˌhu̇d 

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

Noun

Caleb’s devastated father told the Daily News Friday that his family was still trying to piece together the events that led to his son’s senseless murder. —Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 11 Jan. 2025

Carina Sanchez, attended one of those meetings in Delano, with her 5-year-old son. —Rachel Uranga, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2025

Steve's only son followed in his footsteps and plays college football — for none other than his own dad. —Rebecca Aizin, People.com, 11 Jan. 2025

Sanders’ son was the starting quarterback at Colorado over the past two seasons. —Vincent Frank, Forbes, 11 Jan. 2025

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

Phrases Containing son

• favorite son
• prodigal son/daughter
• son et lumière
• son-in-law
• son of a bitch
• son of a gun
• son of God
• son of man

Kids Definition

son

noun

ˈsən 

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)