son

son — noun

1. a boy or man in relation to his parents — the male child that someone has raised

1.nounA1
Definition

a boy or man in relation to his parents — the male child that someone has raised or given birth to.

Example

The Okonkwo family were proud when their son won the school science prize.

possessive determiner + son for family relationship

Imran sat next to his son on the bus and helped him with his homework.

Common collocations
  • eldest son
  • youngest son
  • only son
  • son and heir
Synonyms
  • boy

    focuses on youth and gender, not the parent-child relationship

  • child

    gender-neutral; can refer to a son or daughter

  • offspring

    formal and biological; not used in everyday conversation

Antonyms
  • daughter

    female child in relation to parents

Grammar Patterns

[possessive] + son

son of [person]

Common Mistakes

His son name is David.
His son’s name is David.
a possessive apostrophe is needed before the name.
She has a son of three years.
She has a three-year-old son.
age is expressed as a compound adjective before the noun, not with “of”.

2. a friendly term that an older male speaker uses when talking directly to a boy o

2.nounB1
Definition

a friendly term that an older male speaker uses when talking directly to a boy or younger male, often to encourage or comfort him.

Example

The coach patted the boy’s shoulder: “Keep trying, son, you’ll get it.”

direct address in quoted speech between commas

"Don't you worry, son," the old carpenter said to his young helper.

Synonyms
  • boy

    neutral term; can be used by anyone

  • kid

    informal, used across genders

Grammar Patterns

[", son," in quoted speech]

Usage Note

Only used by an older man to a younger male. Can feel patronising if the speaker is a stranger. Not used between women or by women addressing boys — use “dear” or “young man” instead.

Common Mistakes

Son, can you help me?' (said by a woman to a young boy)
Young man, can you help me?
“son” as an address term implies a fatherly or older-male relationship, which sounds unnatural from a woman.

3. a man connected by birth or lifelong association to a specific town, region, or

3.nounB2
Definition

a man connected by birth or lifelong association to a specific town, region, or country — often used when speaking of him with local pride.

Example

Felix is a proud son of Dublin and still goes back every Christmas.

son of + place name for place of origin

The statue in the square honours the town's most famous son, a Nobel-winning poet.

Common collocations
  • favourite son
  • native son
  • proud son
Synonyms
  • native

    can be used for both men and women

  • local

    informal; focuses on current residence, not birthplace

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

a son of [place]

[place]'s son

[place]'s native son

Usage Note

Typically appears with a place name in the pattern “a son of [place]” or “[place]’s son.” Carries positive connotations of belonging and pride. The female equivalent is “daughter.”

Common Mistakes

She is a son of Taipei.
She is a daughter of Taipei.
use “daughter” for women; “son” applies only to men.
New York's son is famous.' (without article or possessive context)
He is a famous son of New York.
requires an article or a clear possessive construction.
Idioms

like father, like son

idiom

used to say that a son’s character or behaviour is similar to his father’s.

The boy is already fixing cars with his dad at age ten — like father, like son.

the prodigal son

idiom

someone who leaves home to waste their money and time on pleasure, but later feels sorry and returns.

After years abroad, the prodigal son came back to help run the family farm.

from father to son

idiom

passed down from one generation to the next within a family, especially a skill, tradition, or property.

The watchmaking business has been passed from father to son for four generations.

somebody’s favourite son

idiom

A person who is very well liked in the place where they grew up, often because of their success in entertainment, politics, or sports.

The mayor is Chicago's favorite son, winning every election easily.

As a favorite son of the town, the singer was welcomed with a parade.

the/a prodigal (son)

idiom

A person who leaves home to live a wasteful life, but later feels sorry and returns to their family.

After years abroad, the prodigal son returned to his parents' house.

Maria welcomed her prodigal brother back with open arms.

son — combining form

Word family

  • sonny
    nounC1
  • son-in-law
    nounB1
  • stepson
    nounB1
  • grandson
    nounA2
  • sonic
    adjectiveC1
  • sonar
    nounC1
  • sonogram
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

“Son” is the only word that specifies a male child in relation to his parents — it names the family relationship, not just age or gender. “Boy” focuses on youth and male gender: you can point to any young male and say “that boy,” even if he is a stranger. “Child” is the gender-neutral term for a son or daughter of any age relative to a parent. “Kid” is informal and can refer to a child of either sex. “Offspring” is formal and biological, found in legal, scientific, or humorous contexts rather than everyday speech. For example: “My son just turned ten” (family relationship) versus “That boy just turned ten” (age and gender descriptor) versus “The offspring inherit traits from both parents” (formal/genetic context).

son ↗boy ↗child ↗kid ↗offspring ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

Prepositions

Etymology

Proto-Indo-EuropeanGermanicOld EnglishEnglish

The noun “son” comes from Old English “sunu,” from the Germanic root *sunuz, ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European *suHnús, meaning “one born.” It is related to Sanskrit “sūnúḥ” and Greek “hyiós.” The combining form “son-” (as in “sonic,” “sonogram”) has a completely separate origin — from Latin “sonus” meaning “sound.” These two uses share the same spelling in modern English by coincidence, not by historical relation.