1
as in lovers
someone who regularly spends time in a particular place
a longtime familiar of the bar, she would most likely have been there on the night in question
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in friends
a person who has a strong liking for and trust in another
with old familiars the normally reserved writer can be quite warm and funny
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 familiars
Cats make wonderful friends and, for the witchy folks among us, maybe even familiars.
—
Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 28 Nov. 2025
The cast also includes franchise familiars Courteney Cox, Scott Foley, Mason Gooding, and Jasmin Savoy Brown.
—Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2025
By the end of a run, players could have as many as 15 boons which, on top of temporary weapon upgrades, blessings from Moon, familiars, and more, creates a dizzying amount of customization that’s almost impossible to intentionally recreate verbatim on the regular.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 27 Sep. 2025
The sound of K-pop also hums through the other magical elements of the film, especially HUNTR/X’s weapons and the strange familiars that Rumi and Ji-noo (Ahn Hyo-seop) use to communicate with each other across enemy lines.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025
Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 28 Nov. 2025
The cast also includes franchise familiars Courteney Cox, Scott Foley, Mason Gooding, and Jasmin Savoy Brown.
—Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2025
By the end of a run, players could have as many as 15 boons which, on top of temporary weapon upgrades, blessings from Moon, familiars, and more, creates a dizzying amount of customization that’s almost impossible to intentionally recreate verbatim on the regular.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 27 Sep. 2025
The sound of K-pop also hums through the other magical elements of the film, especially HUNTR/X’s weapons and the strange familiars that Rumi and Ji-noo (Ahn Hyo-seop) use to communicate with each other across enemy lines.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for familiars
Noun
-
Each year, millions of dog lovers tune in to the Puppy Bowl as a way to pregame the actual Super Bowl taking place that same Sunday, played by human athletes without tails.—
Stacia Datskovska,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Feb. 2026
-
The symphony, conducted by its music director Carolyn Kuan, is playing a ballet score by Prokofiev inspired by Shakespeare’s immortal drama about two young lovers from feuding families at the Belding Theater at The Bushnell, located at 166 Capitol Ave.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny (and Vogue’s fashionable December digital cover star) took the stage at the 2026 Super Bowl—and brought his celebrity friends along for the celebration.—
Margaux Anbouba,
Vogue,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Bring your friends, too, because it’s meant to serve four.—
Jayna Bardahl,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Conrad wasn’t sure how football fans would react but said most people eagerly accepted a towel.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
-
By the end of that format’s 12-year run, including several instances in which the best overall driver of the year was shut out from the title or even competing in the championship race, a majority of fans and drivers were more than ready for something else.—
Jeff Gluck,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Paragons of chill, the equivalent of three buddies drinking a few beers, too tired to get up off their lily pads/sofas.—
Debby Wolfinsohn,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Feb. 2026
-
The company's four founders – Matthew Calkins, Michael Beckley, Robert Kramer, Marc Wilson – are tech guys, mostly college buddies who started this company out of a garage.—
Kenneth Squire,
CNBC,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Then, earlier last year, the Milanese institution—and fashion-crowd favorite, with regulars including Miuccia Prada and the late Elio Fiorucci—was acquired by Loro Piana and revived.—
Anna Grace Lee,
Vogue,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Collins works closely with director Tamar Levine and lead actor Vic Michaelis to balance performers who are also Dropout regulars, exciting new performers coming up in improv comedy, and bigger names who might otherwise never have the opportunity to appear on Dropout.—
Sarah Shachat,
IndieWire,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Welch said the contractor may make notes about a property, such as suggesting that residents clear debris and place piles of wood off the ground to make outdoor areas less attractive to rats.—
Jessi Virtusio,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Feb. 2026
-
In this particular study, the researchers performed surgery on rats, removing a different organ from each rodent in an attempt to better understand which organ systems BPC-157 interacts with outside of the stomach.—
Sara Talpos — Undark,
STAT,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The promotion provides free admission to guests who wear Patriots gear.—
Jack Perry,
The Providence Journal,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Throughout the space, makeup artists were stationed in booths and banquettes, offering shade-matching sessions so that guests could test the new gel-to-cream concealer and find their perfect hue.—
Carly Witteman,
Vogue,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
From their tables, the patrons got a front row view of the underbelly of Westport.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
26 Jan. 2026
-
And so on until there were so many stickers that patrons simply ignored them.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
24 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Familiars.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/familiars. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
