families

noun

plural of family
1
as in tribes
a group of persons who come from the same ancestor the Adams family made remarkable contributions to American life for more than two centuries

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in types
one of the units into which a whole is divided on the basis of a common characteristic the flute, the clarinet, the oboe, and other members of the woodwind family

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of families The decades-long search for answers in Amy’s case inspired the couple to help establish the nonprofit, which helps to fund unsolved homicide investigations, train investigators and support victims’ families. — Leigh Egan, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026 The plan is to find candidates from families that renounced their royal status in 1947, which at the time was to ease the postwar financial burden on the monarchy. — Mari Yamaguchi, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026 Goliath remained closed as families entered the park, and officials offered no new findings about the fatal incident. — Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026 Its spacious third row remains a particularly compelling advantage for families who regularly transport several adults or older children. — New Atlas, 24 Oct. 2026 Jim Crow segregation, discrimination and systemic racism further depressed the Black population's ability to build wealth that is still largely concentrated among white families. — ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026 The county grew around textile mills and mill villages, where generations of families often lived and worked close together and community life revolved around the same neighborhoods. — Charlotte Observer, 24 Oct. 2026 Both have become tools for wealthy families seeking easier travel or a fallback if political and economic conditions worsen at home. — Mia Osmonbekov, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2026 At least six families said health workers visited only after a child had died from measles in their community. — Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for families
  1. tribes
  2. types
  3. clans
  4. kinds
  5. houses
  6. categories
  7. people
  8. groups
Noun
  • Indigenous tribes adopted names including the drying rice moon, the falling leaves moon and the migrating moon.
    — Dharma Niles, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2026
  • The initiatives pitted some of California’s most successful Native American tribes with gaming interests against gambling corporations, including online sports gaming companies DraftKings and FanDuel.
    — Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of tribes
Noun
  • Saab has not disclosed all the technical specifications of the AMB D, including its detailed detection performance against individual target types.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Like talking to other people with different perspectives, users could provide an extensive prompt to give chatbots a pretend personality that can simulate different types of people.
    — Roger Beaty, The Conversation, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of types
Noun
  • Ali Mahmoud Ali, the group's Sudan analyst, said that the latest clashes risk bringing in more Nuba clans into the fight and could increase divisions across South Kordofan, where communities are facing an already dire humanitarian situation.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Sep. 2026
  • All Palestinian clans and families in Gaza would also be a target for disarmament, which would have an impact on the future of Hamas and Palestinian armed struggle.
    — Mkhaimar Abusada, The Conversation, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of clans
Noun
  • Deeply unsettling, this adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s story details a world where birds of all kinds suddenly decide to start attacking humans.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Chatbots of all kinds were known to be agreeable well before this.
    — Sam Kestenbaum, Harpers Magazine, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of kinds
Noun
  • These are houses that agents have secured listing contracts but aren’t ready to be seen by the public.
    — Lew Sichelman, Miami Herald, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Publishing houses have tried to crack down on AI usage by authors, inserting strict clauses into book deals and leaning on Pangram to vet manuscripts.
    — The Week US, TheWeek, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of houses
Noun
  • The complete list of Power 100 honorees — leaders chosen across 11 categories — is available on the Ebony website.
    — Gail Mitchell, Billboard, 28 Oct. 2026
  • The three shorts categories – animated, documentary and live action – already use qualifying festivals, as does documentary feature.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of categories
Noun
  • Another 13 people were wounded on downtown Sacramento’s K Street and 10th Street, in what became the deadliest mass shooting in the city’s history.
    — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 19 June 2026
  • Organizers say more than 125,000 people are expected throughout the event, bringing in millions of dollars for the local economy.
    — Ryan Hughes, CBS News, 19 June 2026
Definition of people
Noun
  • Carter ruled after a 3½-hour hearing Tuesday, where a slew of attorneys for the state, county and independent voting rights groups argued against the administration’s demands.
    — Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2026
  • This gives several sets of interest groups an opportunity to use the FCC’s public review and approval process to advocate for federal limits on space technologies.
    — Max Harden, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of groups

Browse Nearby Words

familiar spirits
families
family
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Cite this Entry

“Families.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/families. Accessed 31 Oct. 2026.

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