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family circle

American  

noun

  1. the closely related members of a family as a group.

  2. a section in a theater containing less expensive seats, as the topmost gallery.


family circle British  

noun

  1. members of a family regarded as a closed group

  2. the cheap seating area in a theatre behind or above the dress circle

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

See Examples For:

"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

She also felt as a caring grandmother that she needed to comfort Diana's sons in the privacy of the family circle.

From BBC Sep. 8, 2022

And, within the logic of Matisse’s art at that moment, he absolutely needed to base his nude on Marguerite, rather than on some model brought in from outside the family circle.

From New York Times Aug. 26, 2022

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

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