family circle
Americannoun
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the closely related members of a family as a group.
-
a section in a theater containing less expensive seats, as the topmost gallery.
noun
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members of a family regarded as a closed group
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the cheap seating area in a theatre behind or above the dress circle
Etymology
Origin of family circle
First recorded in 1800–10
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.
They’re going to take place in the family circle, which is evident when the paterfamilias starts listing the order of his favorite sons while they’re chowing down at the breakfast table.
From New York Times ● Dec. 21, 2023
"This evening we gather to send a message of love and support to his parents and the whole family circle of Brownes and Collins," Fr Fraser added.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2023
"There is nothing this court can say or do which can reduce the undoubted pain and suffering of her parents, brother and sister and wider family circle," he said.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2023
“Even though we knew that the family circumstances were challenging, we didn’t want to take him out of the family circle because they have a very close-knit family,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 21, 2022
I was warned emphatically to forget what he had said and, indeed, this is the first time it has been mentioned outside the family circle.
From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.