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.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

immediate families

plural

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.

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

From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 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

David Elias KC, defending, said: "A prison sentence will not just impact immediate family but also impact employees, suppliers, and the people who own the horses he trains".

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

“People were upset, depressed and scared,” and all they had were their phones, Zoom and immediate family, said Karen North, a professor of digital social media and psychology at USC.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 21, 2026

There was one woman who seemed to have no immediate family; just one estranged brother.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman

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