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.

She corresponds with Russian political prisoners and they passed on word of 15 Ukrainians whose families had no news of them.

From Barron's • May 8, 2026

"Omitting names could risk discontent among bereaved families and undermine its purpose."

From BBC • May 7, 2026

My maternal grandparents’ families were murdered in the Holocaust and I just couldn’t understand this mother’s choice.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026

Last year’s Palisades and Eaton fires sent thousands of families on a quest for shelter.

From Los Angeles Times • May 7, 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