Son Meaning, Examples, and Usage Guide

Meaning 1：male child (son)

son 🔊

/sʌn/

A male child in relation to his parents.

Father helping his son learn to ride a bicycle in a sunny park

male child 🔊

➕

/meɪl tʃaɪld/

A male child in relation to his parents; a person's male descendant.

📁 Category：Social Roles 🔖 Level：Primary

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Old English 'sunu', from Proto-Germanic *sunuz.

💡 Mnemonic

Think of 'sun' rising each morning; a son brings new light to a family.

📖 Example

He spent the whole afternoon in the park teaching his young son how to ride a bicycle. 🔊 He spent the whole afternoon in the park teaching his young son how to ride a bicycle.

🔗 Collocations

only son – The sole male child in a family.

foster son – A male child raised by someone who is not his biological parent.

son of a gun – An informal expression used to refer to a man or boy, often in a lighthearted way.

🔄 Synonyms

boy (n.) – A male child or adolescent.

male child (n.) – A young male person.

offspring (n.) – A person's child or children (can be used for both genders).

🚫 Antonyms

daughter (n.) – A female child in relation to her parents.

🌱 Derivatives

sonny (n.) – A young boy, often used as a familiar form of address.

sonship (n.) – The state or condition of being a son.

📖 Cultural Story

Derived from Old English 'sunu' (Proto-Germanic *sunuz), from PIE *suH- 'to give birth'. Cognate with Latin 'filius' and Greek 'hyios'.