FAMILY
a group of people who are related to each other
/amily /'faenuli/ [n C] a group of people
who are related to each other, especially a mother, father, and their children all living together: He comes from a family of eight children. I A lot of the families living in this area are very poor. member of a /amily Only members of the family were allowed in to see her. the Armstrong/Mitchell/Joaes /amily (=the family with this name) l/arious members of the Kennedy family were at the funeral.
nuclear /amily (=a typical family consisting of a mother, a father, and their children)
extended /amily (^including cousins, grandparents etc as well as parents and
children)
one-parent /amily (=a family in which
there is only one parent) plirdl families
CHILD
MOTHER
\ Г
see also
i
RELATIONSHIP
BABY
FATHER
in British English, you can use family with a singular or plural verb: The family now lives/live in London. In American English, always use a singular verb: The family now lives in California.
family tree
grandfather
grandmother | grandfather grandmother
mother- in-law
father- in-law
mother I father
uncle
cousin
wife
1
aunt
MARK brother sister-in-law sister brother-in-law
son
daughter
nephew niece
266
FAMILY
Family usually means a group of close relatives who live together: The average family spends $120 a week on food. But it can also mean all the other people you are related to, such as your cousins and grandparents: it was a big wedding, and the whole family was there.
parents /'pe^rents/ [n plural] someone's mother and father: Do you get on well with your parents? I Parents are worried that their children may be taking drugs.
background /'bsekgraond/ |n C] the kind of family and social class that you grew up in: Most of his friends are from similar upper-class backgrounds. I The teachers try to know something about each child's background.
things that happen in a family or belong to a family
/amily /'ftenvli [adj only before noun] family home/business/holiday/argument etc something that belongs to a family or happens in a family: Dino's family home is in Palm Springs. I I stopped going on family holidays when I was 15.1 a big family celebration
domestic /da'mestik/ [adj only before noun] domestic violence/trouble/ argument etc fighting, arguments, or problems between members of the same family: Victims of domestic violence are often too frightened to tell the police. I I'm worried about Jim - I think he has some sort of domestic trouble.
someone that belongs to your family
relative/relation 'rebtiv, ri leipn/[n C] someone who is a member of your family although they do not live with you: Over 100 friends and relatives came to the funeral.
close relative/relation (=someone who is closely related to you)
distant relative/relation (-someone who
is not closely related to you) We have some distant relations in Australia who we've never met.
be a relative/relation of sb She's a relative of the Queen, you know.
Use relatives and relations to talk about members of your family who do not live with you in the same house. The people you live with (your parents, sisters
etc) are your family, not your relatives or relations.
to belong to the same family as someone
be related /bi: rrleitid/ if two people are related, they are both members of the same family - use this about cousins, grandparents etc, but not about your parents or your brothers and sisters: "I didn't know you and Ted were related." "Yes, Ted's wife is my sister." + to John told me he was related to Mel Gibson - is it true?
be descended from sb /bi: drsend^d from (sb)/ to be related to someone who lived a long time ago, especially someone famous or important: She is descended from the Duke of Marlborough.
people who are related to you because of marriage
mother-in-law/son-in-law etc [n C]
someone who is related to you because someone in your family is married to them; for example, your mother-in-law is the mother of your wife or husband, and your sister-in-law is the sister of your wife or husband
plural mothers-in-law, sons-in-law etc
stepmother/stepson etc [n C] step- mother/stepfather/stepslster/step- brother/stepson/stepdaughter so me -
one who becomes your mother, sister, son etc when you or a person that you are related to marries for a second time: My father married Jenny, who already has a daughter, so now I have a stepmother and stepsister.
hal/-brother/hal/-sister /ha:f Ьглбэг, ha:f sist3r|'haef-/ [n C] if one of your parents marries a second time and has a
child, that child is your half-brother or
half-sister
by marriage ,<bai maerids/ if you are related to someone by marriage, they are married to someone in your family or you are married to someone in their family:
John's my cousin by marriage. (=he is the cousin of my wife or husband)
in-laws "m h:z, \n pluralj informal the parents of your husband or wife: IVe lived with my in-laws until we had enough money to buy a house of our own.
В people who were in the same family as you a long time ago
ancestor i'xnsss-ses-|-ses-/ \n С] a
member of your family who lived a long time ago, especially hundreds of years ago: My ancestors originally came from Ireland. 1 Tom's interested in finding out more about his ancestors.