family planning

American  

noun

1. the concept or a program of limiting the size of families through the spacing or prevention of pregnancies, especially for economic reasons.

2. (loosely) birth control.

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family planning British  

noun

1. the control of the number of children in a family and of the intervals between them, esp by the use of contraceptives See also birth control

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family planning Cultural  

1. The use of education and birth control to limit the number of offspring and the population of a country. (See population control and Margaret Sanger.)

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Etymology

Origin of family planning

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

family planning

The State Department has made little effort to spend some foreign aid money that Congress earmarked for specific purposes, including family planning, neglected diseases and nutrition, according to government staff and budget documents.

From Salon ● Jun. 23, 2026

The World Health Organisation said that when midwives were educated to international standards — and when midwifery includes family planning — they could prevent more than 80% of maternal deaths, stillbirths, and neonatal deaths.

From BBC ● Apr. 23, 2026

They waited until it was completely dark, and did their best to make as little noise as possible so that nobody would notice and report us to the family planning office.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 13, 2026

About 1 in 10 women of reproductive age who received family planning services and are enrolled in Medicaid relied on Planned Parenthood’s services in 2021.

From Salon ● Feb. 9, 2026

Second, nations with food deficits must put more of their resources into voluntary family planning programs.

From State of the Union Address by Johnson, Lyndon B. (Lyndon Baines)