immediate family

American  

[ih-mee-dee-it fam-uh-lee, fam lee] / ɪˈmi di ɪt ˈfæm ə li, ˈfæm li /

noun

• immediate families
  plural

1. 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.

   Benefits include free medical treatment for the employee and immediate family.

   Members of her immediate family and several former colleagues were also in attendance.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• immediate families
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of immediate family

First recorded in 1730–40

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

immediate family

Zhao and his immediate family members will be ineligible for entry into the United States, Washington said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

Changing the use of a pied-à-terre to get an exemption—such as by renting it out or having an immediate family member live there—will apply next fiscal year, at the earliest.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

Also in June, China barred Teodoro, Manila's defence secretary, and his immediate family from entering mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

I wonder how many people hide their true financial situation from everyone except their immediate family.

From MarketWatch ● May 26, 2026

“Now then, it will be your task to identify the man, find his immediate family, and invite them to Falling Water so that I may grant them immunity.”

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman

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