second cousin

noun

: the child of one's parent's first cousin

Examples of second cousin in a Sentence

Susan is my second cousin.
Recent Examples on the Web Lady Gabriella, who is the King’s second cousin, is not a working member of the royal family. Lauren Said-Moorhouse, CNN, 28 Feb. 2024 Duke's second cousin, Colt Brennan, was a Heisman Trophy finalist as Hawaii's quarterback and had NFL stints. Richard Obert, The Arizona Republic, 30 Jan. 2024 She was picked up at the airport by the then-bishop of Kerry, Eamonn Casey, who was her second cousin once removed. Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 29 Jan. 2024 Gilmore, a clinical professor of communication in journalism and screen studies at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, got the idea of a scouts documentary after listening to stories from Brian Williams, his second cousin, who’s a national cross-checker with the Rangers. Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY, 14 Jan. 2024 Her husband Winston Frederick Churchill Guest, a polo player and second cousin of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, was also well-connected in the arts; their 1947 wedding was held at Ernest Hemingway's Havana, Cuba estate, with Hemingway serving as the best man. Cady Lang, TIME, 2 Feb. 2024 The soon-to-be Dynasty star — who is actually the second cousin once removed of Prince Charles through her mother, Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia — made her acting debut in 1982's The Royal Romance and reprised the role of Diana 10 years later in Charles & Diana: Unhappily Ever After. Andrea Wurzburger, Peoplemag, 16 Nov. 2023 Boy reads caption, which says that new boy in picture is girl’s second cousin from out of town. Jen Kim, The New Yorker, 12 Sep. 2023 Democrat Brandon Presley — the second cousin of rock-and-roll legend Elvis Presley — is trying to oust Mississippi Republican Gov. Tate Reeves from the governor's mansion on Tuesday. Kathryn Watson, CBS News, 7 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'second cousin.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1660, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of second cousin was in 1660

Dictionary Entries Near second cousin

Cite this Entry

“Second cousin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/second%20cousin. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

second cousin

noun
: the child of one's parent's first cousin
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!