son

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Informal

n. a friendly way for an older person to speak to a younger man.

n. a familiar or patronising form of address to a male, typically from an older or more authoritative person.

“Don't worry about the mistake, son; we all learn from experience.”

“The old mechanic leaned over the engine and said, 'Listen closely, son, because I am only going to show you this trick once.'”

C1 · Advanced Countable noun Literary

n. a man who comes from a particular place or was shaped by it.

n. a male person regarded as the product or representative of a specific country, region, or social movement.

Español:hijo

“He was a famous son of the city who never forgot his roots.”

“The monument was dedicated to the fallen sons of the soil who had defended the valley during the border conflicts of the nineteenth century.”

C2 · Proficiency Uncountable noun Music Technical

n. a style of music and dance from Cuba.

n. A genre of music and dance that originated in Cuba, combining Spanish guitar and African percussion elements.

“The band played a traditional son that got everyone dancing.”

“The evolution of salsa owes a significant debt to the rhythmic structures of Afro-Cuban son developed in the late nineteenth century.”

C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Computing Technical

n. a new version of a computer file made from an older one.

n. The current version of a file or data set, derived from a preceding 'father' file in a generational backup system.

“The system automatically creates a son file every time you save your work.”

“In the grandfather-father-son backup rotation, the son represents the most recent incremental daily backup.”

C2 · Proficiency Informal

v. to call a younger man 'son' when talking to him.

v. To address a male person using the term 'son', often to assert authority or show affection.

“He didn't like it when the older boss started sonning him in front of clients.”

“The veteran officer tended to son the new recruits, a habit that some found comforting and others found condescending.”