family way

noun

Definition of family waynext
as in pregnancy
the state of containing unborn young within the body noticing the telltale bump, we guessed that she was in the family way again

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of family way The family way of basketball spread to Turgeon’s son Will, who grew up in Wichita and on the courts his father coached on. — Pj Green march 10, Kansas City Star, 10 Mar. 2026 That was the family way, as Schadt’s great-grandfather, Jacob Heitzman, started the place in 1891. — Amanda Hancock, Louisville Courier Journal, 2 Jan. 2026 One thing that the proud mom believes helped propel her son to success was the Cochran family way, coined by her father in a book. — Abigail Adams, PEOPLE.com, 9 Feb. 2022 The devastation of the accident affected my family way beyond 1979. — Jonathon Berlin, sun-sentinel.com, 21 May 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for family way
  1. pregnancy
  2. gestation
Noun
  • When a person is immunized during pregnancy, the risk of symptomatic disease fell by 44% in their newborns up to 6 months old.
    — Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The team parted ways with Meila Brewer on Wednesday, and Ellie Bravo-Young also announced her pregnancy, leaving the team a couple players short defensively through the stretch run this season.
    — Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of pregnancy
Noun
  • Raelynn Kubiske was born almost four months early, at 23 weeks and six days gestation on July 18, 2025.
    — Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 27 Aug. 2026
  • The new songs on Goin’ Local are the result of a slow gestation period over several years, some beginning more than a decade ago with his co-producer Tony Shanahan, bassist from the Patti Smith Group.
    — Steve Appleford, SPIN, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of gestation

Browse Nearby Words

family trees
family way
famine
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Cite this Entry

“Family way.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/family%20way. Accessed 6 Sep. 2026.

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