Son Definition: Useful Examples & Fun Facts

Define “son” by taking a look at these examples of how native speakers typically use this word to share certain information.

Learn “son” synonyms and other related words to make your English more advanced and your written and spoken text more fluent.

Related nouns: family sister brother daughter

Synonyms (contextual): boy kid

Common collocations: youngest son only son adopted son

Discover all the possible variations of how to combine this word with other parts of speech like nouns, verbs and adjectives to create meaningful language units in form of collocations on your own.

With adjectives: oldest son grown-up son teenage son beloved son

With verbs: raise a son have a son name a son love a son

With nouns (noun + noun): son image son legacy son duties

The meaning of “sister” is quite understandable, so we invite you to discover what other points you can share while using this word in different idiomatic contexts. Look at these phrases and read the examples of correct usage.

• Like father, like son — a son behaves or looks similar to his father; traits pass from one generation to the next.

  Tom became a carpenter at 19, just like his dad. That’s what we call, like father, like son!

• Favorite son — a man who is especially admired in his hometown or region and someone who brings pride to their community.

  The senator returned to his state as a favorite son after winning the national election.

• Son of a gun — (informal) an exclamation of surprise or admiration and used to describe a mischievous but likable person.

  That son of a gun actually won the lottery twice in one year!

• Prodigal son — someone who leaves home, wastes money or opportunities, then returns seeking forgiveness.

  After years of bad decisions, the prodigal son came back to ask his parents for help.

• Son-in-law — the husband of one’s daughter.

  We invited our son-in-law to join the family dinner this weekend.

Check your understanding of what “son” means by completing this quick intellectual game. Take your time and complete every task, since practice makes everything perfect and easier!

Learn how you spell “son” in French, German and Spanish. Listen and repeat!

We are done with the “son” description, so take a look at these related, surprising details to uncover the historical significance of this word and how the traditions were shaped all this time.

• “Son” appears in thousands of surnames.

  In the past, names that ended with the suffix “-son” had the literal meaning of “son of” a certain person. For instance, Johnson signified the meaning “son of John.” Today, this naming scheme is still present in the Nordic regions through names like Eriksson and Johansson.

• Some cultures historically preferred sons.

  In the past, male offspring were the ones who continued the family line and received the inheritance. This was the case in several nations and led to very pronounced gender discrimination.

• The word comes from Old English.

  The term “son” comes from the Old English word “sunu,” which is traced back to the Old Germanic and Indo-European languages. Almost all the languages of Europe have words for son with a similar phonetic structure, which indicates the family term’s antiquity.

• Royal sons have special titles.

  Specific titles are given to the sons of kings in monarchies. The firstborn son of the monarch in Britain is, by tradition, the Prince of Wales. Other royal sons, depending on their birth order and the country’s customs, are dubbed dukes, earls, or princes.

Read these famous sayings and think whether you agree or disagree with them. Reflect on which of your thoughts are common with quotations and details you would like to change.