See Also: Family(health)
family man(dictionary)
family name(dictionary)
rue family(encyclopedia)
family(encyclopedia)
family(dictionary)
first family(dictionary)
family(dictionary)
Immediate family(finance)
Family Law(law)

family (oh)




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1 ?closely related group?
2 ?all your relations?
3 ?children?
4 family size/pack etc
5 ?group of animals/things?
6 she's/he's family
7 in the family way
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[Date: 1400-1500; Origin: familia 'people living in a house', from famulus 'servant']
?CLOSELY RELATED GROUP?
[C] a group of people who are related to each other, especially a mother, a father, and their children
::Do you know the family next door?
::The Webb family still has its farm over there.
[also + plural verb] BrE
::The family now live in London.
:: The whole family had caught colds.
:: For younger members of the family, there is an outdoor play area.
:: This house isn't big enough for a family of seven .
:: My family has always been close .
:: Is there a history of heart disease in your immediate family ?
:: He lost contact with his extended family .
:: the traditional nuclear family
:: children living in a one-parent family
:: The Royal Family must now rethink its attitude to marriage.
::the break-up of the family unit
?ALL YOUR RELATIONS?
[C,U also + plural verb British English] all the people you are related to, including those who are now dead
::I'm moving to Detroit because I have some family there.
::My family come from Scotland originally.
in sb's family
::That painting has been in our family (=been owned by our family) for 200 years.
::Asthma runs in the family (=is common in the family) .
?CHILDREN?
[C] children
::Couples with young families wouldn't want to live here.
::They're getting married next year, and hope to start a family (=have children) straight away.
bring up/raise a family
::the problems of bringing up a family on a very low income
family size/pack etc
a container or package containing a large amount of a product
?GROUP OF ANIMALS/THINGS?
[C] technical a group of related animals, plants, languages etc
the cat/parrot/squirrel etc family
::The cat family includes lions and tigers.
::Spanish and Italian are part of the Romance language family.
she's/he's family
informal used to emphasize your connection with someone who is related to you
in the family way
old-fashioned pregnant
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COLLOCATES for sense 1
the whole family/all the family
member of a family/family member
a family of three/four/five etc
a close/close-knit family (=a family whose members have a close relationship)
immediate family (=closest relations)
nuclear family (=a family consisting of a mother, a father, and their children)
family background (=the sort of family someone comes from)
one-parent family/single-parent family
the Royal Family (=the King or Queen and their family)
family home/car/holiday etc
a family film/show etc (=that is suitable for children as well as adults)
family life
family resemblance (=when members of the same family look like each other)
family gathering (=when members of a family who do not live together arrange to meet)
family unit