family
A group of people who are related to each other, like parents, children, and other relatives.
A group consisting of parents and their children, or all the people who are related to each other by blood, marriage, or adoption.
A group of things or people that are similar or connected in some way.
A group of things, animals, languages, etc., that are related to each other or share common features.
People who live together in one home, usually parents and children.
A social unit consisting of people living together in one household, often including parents and children.
- Base: family
- Plural: families, family
black sheep of the family
1Outcast in the family
A person who is very different from others in their family and often seen as causing shame or trouble.
- He was the black sheep of the family because he refused to follow tradition.
- She always felt like the black sheep of the family.
in the family way
1Pregnant (old-fashioned informal)
An old-fashioned way to say that a woman is pregnant.
- She’s in the family way and due in September.
- They discovered she was in the family way.
run in the family
1Trait shared by relatives
To be a quality or feature that many people in the same family have.
- Artistic talent seems to run in the family.
- Heart disease runs in the family.
start a family
1Have children and form a household
To begin having children and create a household as a couple.
- They decided it was time to start a family.
- Many couples wait until they are financially stable before starting a family.
family tree
1Diagram of relatives over generations
A drawing that shows how members of a family are related over time.
- She traced her ancestors using her family tree.
- She traced her ancestors back five generations on her family tree.
- The project involved creating a detailed family tree.
- They made a family tree for the school history project.