1 family
/ˈfæmli/
noun
plural
families
1 family
/ˈfæmli/
noun
plural
families
Britannica Dictionary definition of FAMILY
1
a
:
a group of people who are related to each other
◊ This sense of family can refer to a group that consists of parents and their children or it can refer to a bigger group of related people including grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. It is often used specifically of a group of related people who live together in one house.
[count]
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There were a lot of families at the circus.
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a close/close-knit family
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The show is fun for the whole/entire family.
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the royal family
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a single-parent family
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a death in the family
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There are several doctors on his mother's side of the family.
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She wants to spend more time with her family.
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my sister and other members of my immediate family [=the group that includes my parents, my brothers and sisters, and me]
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After his father's death he became the head of the family.
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She's a friend of the family.
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a two-family house/dwelling [=a house that has separate areas for two families to live in]
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[noncount]
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He spent a quiet evening at home with family.
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trying to find a balance between work and family
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She was surrounded by friends and family. [=family members]
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He has family in California. [=he has relatives who live in California]
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◊ To be treated like one of the family or like family is to be treated in a very warm and kind way, like a member of someone's family. They treat their guests like family. [+] more examples [-] hide examples [+] Example sentences [-] Hide examples
◊ You can informally describe someone as a member of your family by saying that he or she is family. You're always welcome here because you're family. My brother has a lot of faults, but we forgive him because he's family. [+] more examples [-] hide examples [+] Example sentences [-] Hide examples
◊ If something runs in the family or runs in someone's family, it occurs in all or many members of a family. Musical talent runs in her family. [=many or all of the people in her family have musical talent] [+] more examples [-] hide examples [+] Example sentences [-] Hide examples
— see also extended family, nuclear family
b
[count]
:
a person's children
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He's devoted to his wife and family.
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My sister and her husband want to have a big/large family. [=to have many children]
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They want to raise a family. [=to have children]
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They want to start a family [=to begin having children] soon.
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c
[count]
:
a group of related people including people who lived in the past
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My family came to America from Italy.
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Their family has lived here for many generations.
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Usage
In U.S. English, family is used with a singular verb.
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His family has always supported him.
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In British English, family can also be used with a plural verb.
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His family have always supported him.
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2
[count]
:
a group of people who resemble a family in some way
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We like to think that the people who work here are all one big, happy family.
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3
[count]
:
a group of things that are alike in some way
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a family of languages/instruments
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4
[count]
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a group of related plants or animals
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Peaches, apples, and roses belong to one family.
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a plant that belongs to the cabbage family
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Despite their large size, crows are members of the songbird family.
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5
[count]
:
a group of criminals who work together in an organized way
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the suspected head of a crime family
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2 family
/ˈfæmli/
adjective
2 family
/ˈfæmli/
adjective
Britannica Dictionary definition of FAMILY
always used before a noun
1
:
of or relating to a family
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family members
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a family picnic
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the family business/car
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He enjoys family life. [=he enjoys spending time with his wife and children]
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an old family friend [=friend of the family]
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2
:
designed or suitable for both children and adults
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a family restaurant
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family entertainment
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family [=wholesome] values
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the family jewels
— see jewel
