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
-
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.
"My deepest condolences are with the entire family circle as well as many friends, the school family and wider community who are firmly in my thoughts and prayers."
From BBC • Feb. 3, 2026
“She would write in the day and then read aloud in the family circle at night, which they all did.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 2, 2025
Betty Dobbin was known to her great granddaughter as “Great Dobbin”, a term of affection which her family said showed her importance within the entire family circle.
From BBC • Oct. 16, 2024
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
Some kind of psychological deterioration hit our family circle and began to eat away our pride.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
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.
