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.

Young families have always flocked to Hartford’s suburbs for more land and good schools, but competing for a house was hardly the norm.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

Thailand's foreign ministry said it was "saddened" by the development and that families of the missing crew had been informed.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

Still, hundreds of families sat out under mild, cloudy skies, picnicking amid sweeping views of the snow-capped Alborz mountains -- a postcard scene at odds with a city under regular attack.

From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026

Thirty-one of the remains discovered by police were those of loved ones whose families had already held funerals.

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026

Then I made a list of all the families I knew and checked off everyone I’d visited or talked to so far.

From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney