- family
- fam|i|lyW1S1 [ˈfæməli] n plural families▬▬▬▬▬▬▬1¦(closely related group)¦2¦(all your relations)¦3¦(children)¦4 family size/pack etc5¦(group of animals/things)¦6 she's/he's family7 in the family way▬▬▬▬▬▬▬[Date: 1400-1500; Origin: familia 'people living in a house', from famulus 'servant']1.) ¦(CLOSELY RELATED GROUP)¦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 unit2.) ¦(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) .3.) ¦(CHILDREN)¦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 income4.) family size/pack etca container or package containing a large amount of a product5.) ¦(GROUP OF ANIMALS/THINGS)¦ technicala group of related animals, plants, languages etcthe cat/parrot/squirrel etc family▪ The cat family includes lions and tigers.▪ Spanish and Italian are part of the Romance language family.6.) she's/he's family informalused to emphasize your connection with someone who is related to you7.) in the family wayold-fashioned ↑pregnant▬▬▬▬▬▬▬COLLOCATES for sense 1the whole family/all the familymember of a family/family membera family of three/four/five etca 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 familythe Royal Family (=the King or Queen and their family)family home/car/holiday etca family film/show etc (=that is suitable for children as well as adults)family lifefamily 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▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Dictionary of contemporary English. 2013.