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.

Now, some campus housing holds refugee families, including from Afghanistan.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

The government said the Crisis and Resilience Fund will provide a "single, streamlined grant cutting red tape for councils and making it easier for families to access help when they need it".

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

"Please give this heartless woman the maximum prison sentence so she won't be able to hurt other families like ours."

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

Members of the Hearst and Soros families own homes there, along with legendary commodities trader Helmut Weymar and Amos Hostetter, a Boston-based billionaire and philanthropist.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

Our two families cross through our shared courtyard, and we all say goodbye and wish one another a good lunch.

From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar