the eldest
noun
—used in comparing the ages of people who are members of the same family
He's the eldest of her three brothers.
Examples of the eldest in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The actor was born on March 8, 1977, and raised in Connecticut, the eldest of three children.
—
Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Feb. 2026
Van Der Beek, the eldest of three children, began acting in school productions before making his professional stage debut at age 16 in New York, according to the New York Times.
—Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
Born in 1977 in Cheshire, Connecticut, Van Der Beek was the eldest of three children.
—Lisa Respers France, CNN Money, 11 Feb. 2026
Eventine, the eldest, was alive.
—Matthew Bremner, Rolling Stone, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for the eldest
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.
Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Feb. 2026
Van Der Beek, the eldest of three children, began acting in school productions before making his professional stage debut at age 16 in New York, according to the New York Times.
—Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
Born in 1977 in Cheshire, Connecticut, Van Der Beek was the eldest of three children.
—Lisa Respers France, CNN Money, 11 Feb. 2026
Eventine, the eldest, was alive.
—Matthew Bremner, Rolling Stone, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for the eldest
Cite this Entry
“The eldest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20eldest. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
