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
Kimia Zabihyan, who leads the group, said at the forefront of decision must be the immediate families of those who died.
From BBC ● Jan. 15, 2025
Their movement is gaining momentum beyond POWs’ immediate families, with protests growing by the week.
From Seattle Times ● May 26, 2024
In some cases, immediate families are split in their views across age and gender lines.
From New York Times ● Mar. 27, 2024
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
