Definition of 'son'
Word forms: plural sons
2. countable noun [with poss]
[journalism]
3. countable noun
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Video: pronunciation of
son
Word Frequency
son in British English
▶ Related adjective: filial
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
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 sūnuWord Frequency
son in American English
noun
1.
a boy or man as he is related to either or both parents
sometimes also used of animals2.
a male descendant
4.
sons of France
5.
an affectionate or familiar form of address to a boy or man, as used by an older person
Idioms:
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
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
Word Frequency
son in American English
(sʌn)
noun
1.
a male child or person in relation to his parents
3.
any male descendant
a son of the Aztecs
4.
a son-in-law
5.
a person related as if by ties of sonship
6.
a true son of the soil
7.
a familiar term of address to a man or boy from an older person, an ecclesiastic, etc
8. See the Son
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Derived forms
sonless adjective
sonlike
adjective
Word origin
[bef. 900; ME sone, OE sunu; c. D zoon, G Sohn, ON sunr, sonr, Goth sunus, Lith sūnùs, Skt sūnus; akin to Gk huiós]Word Frequency
son- in American English
combining form
var. (before a vowel) of soni-
sonance
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Examples of 'son' in a sentence
son
These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content. Read more…
Quotations
Like father like son
Trends of
son
View usage for:
In other languages
son
- American English: son /ˈsʌn/
- 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
Browse alphabetically
son
Related terms of
son
Source
Definition of son from the Collins English Dictionary
Quick word challenge
Quiz Review
Question: 1
-
Score: 0 / 5
pedal or peddle?
Which version is correct?
rap or wrap?
Drag the correct answer into the box.
rap
wrap
He used to be part of a group.
altar or alter?
Drag the correct answer into the box.
alter
altar
His tone began to as he spoke.
dear or deer?
Which version is correct?
you're or your?
Drag the correct answer into the box.
you're
your
I think expecting too much of me.
Your score:
Word of the day
desertification
Desertification is the process by which a piece of land becomes dry , empty , and unsuitable for growing trees or crops on.
Latest Word Submissions
Bonfire or Guy Fawkes Night
On the night of 4 November 1605 Guy Fawkes, a Catholic, was discovered in an undercroft of the House of Lords guarding a hoard of gunpowder intended to explode the following day at the state opening of Parliament and thereby assassinate the Protestant King James I and annihilate the government.
Read more
COP26
With COP26 currently underway in Glasgow, we look at the large and constantly evolving lexicon of climate change.
Read more
Trick or treat? The eerie etymology behind popular Halloween words
Spooky season has arrived once more! Pumpkins are out in full force and this year, we decided to revisit some of our gruesome lexical offerings with a brand-new look into some of the most popular words and phrases associated with the scariest time of year.
Read more
Collins English Dictionary Apps
Download our English Dictionary apps - available for both iOS and Android.
Read more
Collins Dictionaries for Schools
Our new online dictionaries for schools provide a safe and appropriate environment for children. And best of all it's ad free, so sign up now and start using at home or in the classroom.
Read more
Word lists
We have almost 200 lists of words from topics as varied as types of butterflies, jackets, currencies, vegetables and knots!
Amaze your friends with your new-found knowledge!
Read more
Join the Collins community
All the latest wordy news, linguistic insights, offers and competitions every month.
Read more
Quick word challenge
Quiz Review
Question: 1
-
Score: 0 / 5
long-term goal or winning goal?
Drag the correct answer into the box.
long-term goal
winning goal
This needs to be approached in a realistic manner.
consume energy or muster the energy?
Which version is correct?
complex plot or vegetable plot?
Which version is correct?
murder scene or music scene?
Drag the correct answer into the box.
murder scene
music scene
Mobile signals enabled police to place them at the .
environmental damage or nerve damage?
Which version is correct?
Your score: