family

noun

ˈfam-lē How to pronounce family (audio)
Definition of familynext
1
as in clan
a group of persons who come from the same ancestor the Adams family made remarkable contributions to American life for more than two centuries

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in kind
one of the units into which a whole is divided on the basis of a common characteristic the flute, the clarinet, the oboe, and other members of the woodwind family

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of family Every day, Cord Shiflet drives 200 miles round trip from Austin, helping survivors tell their stories, connecting them with resources and raising more than $50,000 for affected families through Facebook. — Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 20 July 2026 The latest controversy involved a family member rather than an aide. — Greg Bluestein, AJC.com, 20 July 2026 Early in the trailer, the Walter family patriarch is shown in the hospital on a ventilator. — Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 19 July 2026 The backstory The Sandpiper was built in 1970 and has been family-run ever since. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for family
Recent Examples of Synonyms for family
  1. clan
  2. kind
  3. house
  4. category
  5. tribe
  6. group
  7. folks
  8. household
Noun
  • There are countless activities for children and the whole clan to enjoy, from horse riding tours of the countryside to quad biking, cycling, tennis, and an aqua park tucked away from the main site.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 July 2026
  • A day after the momager, 70, announced MJ’s death on Instagram, DeGeneres, 68, who has a close friendship with the Kardashian-Jenner clan, paid her respects with a sweet message.
    — Ingrid Vasquez, PEOPLE, 18 July 2026
Definition of clan
Noun
  • Those near-misses inspired me to expand the mission to frozen cocktails of all kinds.
    — Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 24 July 2026
  • Royals fans love the traditional Salvy Splash following a win, but there was one of a different kind during the Royals’ 5-4 victory over the San Francisco Giants at Kauffman Stadium on Wednesday afternoon.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 23 July 2026
Definition of kind
Noun
  • Two Indian tourists picked her up and took her to a guest house, where another eight men were waiting, all of them drunk.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 July 2026
  • Natalie Boren, an executive VP at recruiter Career Group Companies, responsible for fashion staffing, is surprised how many interviewees cannot muster basic information about a fashion house’s most recent work — or even the creative director’s name.
    — Cami Fateh, Vogue, 22 July 2026
Definition of house
Noun
  • For 60 years, corporate America has been asked to count its employees by demographic category.
    — Doug Melville, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
  • Alvarez homered for the third time in the series and leads the majors in that category.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 23 July 2026
Definition of category
Noun
  • The defining anti-woke ads of 2024 were about taxpayer funding for gender surgery, not listing the tribes of Milwaukee.
    — David Weigel, semafor.com, 21 July 2026
  • According to Werkheiser, the ACHP proposal also reduces what may be considered historic property eligible for protection, which could mean that land considered sacred to Indigenous tribes would lose protection.
    — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 21 July 2026
Definition of tribe
Noun
  • In the underwater video, an adult female orca is seen holding onto a dead sharp-tail sunfish that the group had previously killed.
    — Matthew Glasser, ABC News, 23 July 2026
  • Last December, Berman outdid himself, landing $867 million in financing from a group of lenders that include Apollo Global and JPMorgan Chase to convert a 1960s-era office building at 111 Wall Street.
    — Andrew Rice, Curbed, 23 July 2026
Definition of group
Noun
  • For the past decade or so—somewhere along the way—folks decided that food needed to be serious to be good.
    — Josh Miller, Southern Living, 18 July 2026
  • These are but a few; Trump seemingly no longer has a use for these folks.
    — Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 July 2026
Definition of folks
Noun
  • Deoleo, the maker of household olive oil brands such as Bertolli and Carbonell, previously described the three-year window from 2022 to 2024 as one of the most challenging periods in the sector's history.
    — Sam Meredith, CNBC, 17 July 2026
  • Years of austerity that followed the 2008 financial crash mean economic growth – and household incomes – have largely stagnated since then.
    — Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 17 July 2026
Definition of household

Phrases Containing family

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families
family
family doctor
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Cite this Entry

“Family.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/family. Accessed 25 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on family

Nglish: Translation of family for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about family

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