immediate family

noun

: a person's parents, brothers and sisters, husband or wife, and children
Hospital visits are limited to immediate family.

Examples of immediate family in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Representatives for the Steel Magnolias actress told PEOPLE that at her request, her immediate family will hold a small, private service for the star. — Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 26 Aug. 2026 Employees and immediate family/household members of the Sponsors, their affiliates and agencies are not eligible. — Sponsored Content, Baltimore Sun, 25 Aug. 2026 Hollon said the family hopes to give Dunn a loving farewell while easing the financial burden on immediate family after her loss. — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 25 Aug. 2026 At her request, a small, private service will be held for immediate family. — Deborah Wilker, HollywoodReporter, 25 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for immediate family

Rhymes for immediate family

See All Rhymes for immediate family

Browse Nearby Words

immediate constituent
immediate family
immediate inference
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Immediate family.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/immediate%20family. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of conscientious

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All