kin

noun \ ˈkin \

Definition of kin

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

See kin defined for English-language learners

See kin defined for kids

Examples of kin in a Sentence

They are her distant kin.
invited all of his kith and kin to his graduation party

Recent Examples of kin from the Web

Her name was not released pending notification of next of kin.

— jennifer baker & sheila vilvens, Cincinnati.com, "Suspect charged in pregnant woman's death arrested after hours-long manhunt," 30 Aug. 2017
The body was at the military hospital in South Sudan’s capital, Juba, until next of kin were notified.

— sam mednick, The Seattle Times, "US man killed in South Sudan; army says ‘caught in fighting’," 26 Aug. 2017
The Jefferson County Coroner's Office is seeking the next of kin for Leon N. Faison, 66.

— The Courier-Journal, "Next of kin sought for Leon N. Faison, 66," 22 Aug. 2017
The next of kin of the unnamed personnel already have been notified, Marine officials say.

— carl prine, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Authorities suspend search for missing military members from Osprey mishap," 5 Aug. 2017
Its members, millennials and their younger Gen Z kin, share a mind-set, making common cause of a yen for authenticity.

— ruth la ferla, New York Times, "The Cult of the Line: It’s Not About the Merch," 3 Aug. 2017
The next of kin is sought for James E. Simpson, 47, of Shively.

— The Courier-Journal, "Next of kin sought for James E. Simpson, 47," 18 July 2017
The Tutsi exiles who had helped him to power, enraged by discrimination against their kin in Rwanda, had set out to bring the Hutu dictatorship down.

— The Economist, "Paul Kagame, feted and feared," 13 July 2017
Upon being rescued and reunited with their families, some of the children rejected and attacked their own kin.

— emily feldman, MSNBC Newsweek, "Can ISIS's Indoctrinated Kids be Saved From a Future of Violent Jihad?," 6 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'kin.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of kin

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

kin Synonyms

Synonyms

blood, clan, folks, house, family, kindred, kinfolk (or kinfolks), kinsfolk, line, lineage, people, race, stock, tribe

Antonyms

nonrelative

Related Words

blended family, nuclear family; extended family, household, kith; brood; descendant (also descendent), issue, offspring, progeny, scion, seed; clansman, kinsman, kinswoman, relative; dynasty

Near Antonyms

ancestry, birth, descent, extraction, origin, pedigree

Other Anthropology Terms

ectomorph, ethnography, prehistory, yurt

kin

adjective

Definition of kin

:kindred, related

Origin and Etymology of kin

see ¹kin

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1597

See Words from the same year

Other Anthropology Terms

ectomorph, ethnography, prehistory, yurt

-kin

noun suffix \ kən \

variants: or less commonly -kins \kənz\

Definition of -kin

:little

catkin

babykins

Origin and Etymology of -kin

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

KIN Defined for English Language Learners

kin

noun

Definition of kin for English Language Learners

: a person's relatives

KIN Defined for Kids

kin

noun \ ˈkin \

Definition of kin for Students

1 :a person's relatives

2 :kinsman

-kin

noun suffix \ kən \

variants: also -kins \kənz\

Definition of -kin for Students

:little

lambkin

Law Dictionary

kin

noun

legal Definition of kin

:one's relatives

—

kinship

play \-ˌship\ noun

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Examples of kin in a Sentence

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Origin and Etymology of kin

kin Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Other Anthropology Terms

kin

Definition of kin

Origin and Etymology of kin

Other Anthropology Terms

-kin

Definition of -kin

Origin and Etymology of -kin

Phrases Related to KIN

Related Phrases

KIN Defined for English Language Learners

kin

Definition of kin for English Language Learners

KIN Defined for Kids

kin

Definition of kin for Students

-kin

Definition of -kin for Students

Law Dictionary

kin

legal Definition of kin

kinship

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