immediate family
noun
a social unit consisting of people who are very closely related, usually including parents, siblings, spouses, and children, or the members of this social unit.
immediate families
-
pluralof immediate family.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
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.
About 48% of the incoming students are the first in their immediate families to attend college.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 17, 2025
The poll indicated that 74% of respondents in the Eaton fire zone had structural damage to their homes or other properties owned by their immediate families.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 9, 2025
Their movement is gaining momentum beyond POWs’ immediate families, with protests growing by the week.
From Seattle Times ● May 26, 2024
Hundreds of children had to wait years, some more than half of their lives, in the US in foster-care settings and with relatives and friends before seeing their immediate families again.
From BBC ● May 8, 2023
We were only permitted to write to our immediate families, and just one letter of five hundred words every six months.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
