immediate family

American

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

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.

Benefits include free medical treatment for the employee and immediate family.
Members of her immediate family and several former colleagues were also in attendance.

Etymology

Origin of immediate family

First recorded in 1730–40

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.

Like all those outside, he worries constantly for his immediate family, who luckily all survived the war.

From Barron's • May 9, 2026

I do not have any inheritance coming my way as I lost most of my immediate family when young.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 29, 2026

Others have joined a push to win benefits similar to those in Los Angeles Unified, where teachers and most other employees do not have to pay monthly premiums for themselves and immediate family members.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026

Alleged Bondi Beach gunman Naveed Akram has sought a court order to prevent media from publishing details of his immediate family over concerns about their safety.

From BBC • Mar. 9, 2026

He was the only one in his immediate family to survive a tornado on the Kansas plains.

From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023