families

[fam-uh-leez, fam-leez] / ˈfæm ə liz, ˈfæm liz /

NOUN

kin, offspring; classification

Synonyms

STRONGEST

clan folk group house household people tribe

STRONG

ancestors ancestry birth blood brood children class descendants descent dynasty extraction forebears genealogy generations genre in-laws inheritance issue kind kindred line lineage network parentage pedigree progenitors progeny race relations relationship relatives siblings strain subdivision system

WEAK

heirs and assigns kith and kin menage ménage

Antonyms

STRONG

parent

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

They were ultimately swayed, he said, by appeals from more than a thousand of the camp’s alumnae loyalists and families eager for their daughters to return this summer.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 2026

To many of the families of the dead, returning to Mystic is crass bordering on disrespectful.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 2026

For years, the hospice industry, which was designed to provide comfort and guidance for dying patients and their families in their final days, attracted scammers enticed by large Medicare payments, officials say.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026

The Lullaby Trust, which exists to keep babies safe and supports bereaved families, has been working with the Department of Education to bring about stricter regulations on safe sleeping.

From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026

She is teaching me how to sew, and we are making pretty nightgowns and robes that she will sell to the families of new brides for their trousseaux.

From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar