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

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

Becky Alderton, experience manager at Best of Suffolk, said a break away was very important for families - and with the conflict causing uncertainty, it was seeing an increase in demand for its cottages.

From BBC • 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.”

From Salon • Apr. 18, 2026

It’s what I want to say to the families of all the boys of the Forty-Eighth, but it’s also the apology I wish was given to me.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse