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.

Meanwhile, another 400 families have kept their Mystic deposits, giving them the option to return next year.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 2026

Like other members of the diaspora, they retain strong ties to India, with many regularly travelling to visit their families or ancestral homes.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 18, 2026

“Evidence suggests that when families have supportive infrastructure around them, they’re more likely to have the children they want to have,” Erin Erenberg, co-founder and CEO of Chamber of Mothers, told Salon.

From Salon • 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

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