kin

1 of 3

noun

ˈkin 

1

: a group of persons of common ancestry : clan

2

a

: one's relatives : kindred

our neighbors and their kin

close kin

b

: kinsman

He wasn't any kin to you …

—Jean Stafford

3

archaic : kinship

kin

2 of 3

adjective

: kindred, related

-kin

3 of 3

noun suffix

kən

variants or less commonly -kins

kənz

: little

catkin

babykins

Synonyms of kin

Noun

• family
• tribe
• clan
• house
• folks

Examples of kin in a Sentence

Noun

They are her distant kin.

invited all of his kith and kin to his graduation party

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Older trees direct more resources to their own kin and neighbors in need. — Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 17 June 2026

Those butterflies were also weaker than their pollen-fed kin. — Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 16 June 2026

Adjective

And non-kin pairs were more likely to engage in this genital-to-genital contact than kin. — New Atlas, 4 Mar. 2025

The Oscar winners have been friends for half a century and their kin span generations. — Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2023

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English cynn; akin to Old High German chunni race, Latin genus birth, race, kind, Greek genos, Latin gignere to beget, Greek gignesthai to be born

Adjective

attributive use of kin entry 1

Noun suffix

Middle English, from Middle Dutch -kin; akin to Old High German -chīn, diminutive suffix

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1597, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing kin

• kin selection
• kin to
• kith and kin
• next of kin

Rhymes for kin

• been
• bin
• chin
• din
• djinn
• fin
• finn
• gin
• grin
• in
• linn
• linne

Kids Definition

kin

1 of 3 noun

ˈkin 

1

: a person's relatives

2

: kinsman

kin

2 of 3 adjective

: being related : kindred

-kin

3 of 3 noun suffix

kən

variants also -kins

kənz

: little

—often used in affectionate nicknames

babykins

Etymology

Noun suffix

Middle English -kin "little," from early Dutch -kin "little"

Legal Definition

kin

noun

: one's relatives

kinship

-ˌship 

noun