Note:
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.
There were a lot of families at the circus.
a close/close-knit family
The show is fun for the whole/entire family.
the royal family
a single-parent family
a death in the family
There are several doctors on his mother's side of the family.
She wants to spend more time with her family.
my sister and other members of my immediate family [=the group that includes my parents, my brothers and sisters, and me]
After his father's death he became the head of the family.
She's a friend of the family.
a two-family house/dwelling [=a house that has separate areas for two families to live in]
He spent a quiet evening at home with family.
trying to find a balance between work and family
She was surrounded by friends and family. [=family members]
He has family in California. [=he has relatives who live in California]
Note:
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.
Note:
You can informally describe someone as a member of your family by saying that he or she is family.
Note:
If something runs in the family or runs in someone's family, it occurs in all or many members of a family.
b
: a person's children
He's devoted to his wife and family.
My sister and her husband want to have a big/large family. [=to have many children]
They want to raise a family. [=to have children]
They want to start a family [=to begin having children] soon.
c
: a group of related people including people who lived in the past
My family came to America from Italy.
Their family has lived here for many generations.
Usage Discussion of family
In U.S. English, family is used with a singular verb.
His family has always supported him.
In British English, family can also be used with a plural verb.
His family have always supported him.
2
: a group of people who resemble a family in some way
We like to think that the people who work here are all one big, happy family.
3
: a group of things that are alike in some way
a family of languages/instruments
4
: a group of related plants or animals
Peaches, apples, and roses belong to one family.
a plant that belongs to the cabbage family
Despite their large size, crows are members of the songbird family.
5
: a group of criminals who work together in an organized way
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