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 addition to Hahn, the new VPR cast includes Venus Binkley, Shayne Davis, Angelica Jensen, Marcus Johnson, Audrey Lingle, Natalie Maguire, Demy Selem, Kim Suarez and Jason Cohen — who is also Hahn’s cousin and appeared on Dated and Related with him in 2022.
—Liza Esquibias, PEOPLE, 27 Dec. 2025
The 15-track project finds the cousins fully leaning into their corridos foundation, trading verses and melodies in their signature raspy delivery — but also tapping into elevated production and angelic choir arrangements between songs.
—Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 26 Dec. 2025
According to the Associated Press, Bakri's cousin, Rafic, highlighted his family member's enduring support for Palestinians in a statement following the star's death.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Dec. 2025
Cases are up, and so on top of last-minute shopping, gift wrapping, and cooking, families are desperately trying to proactively protect the grandparents and baby cousins over Christmas.
—Juli McDonald, CBS News, 23 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cousin
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Liza Esquibias, PEOPLE, 27 Dec. 2025
The 15-track project finds the cousins fully leaning into their corridos foundation, trading verses and melodies in their signature raspy delivery — but also tapping into elevated production and angelic choir arrangements between songs.
—Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 26 Dec. 2025
According to the Associated Press, Bakri's cousin, Rafic, highlighted his family member's enduring support for Palestinians in a statement following the star's death.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Dec. 2025
Cases are up, and so on top of last-minute shopping, gift wrapping, and cooking, families are desperately trying to proactively protect the grandparents and baby cousins over Christmas.
—Juli McDonald, CBS News, 23 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cousin
Cite this Entry
“Cousin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cousin. Accessed 1 Jan. 2026.
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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