Ways of describing families and family relations
step-mother (also step-brother / step-sister / step-father / step-parent
a woman who is married to someone's father but who is not their real mother After she married Chris, she became step-mother to his three children (as well as having her own daughter from her first marriage). ex-husband (also ex-wife / ex-boyfriend / ex-partner
used to describe someone you used to have a relationship with It was such a bitter divorce that she never spoke to her ex-husband after the divorce. Other words with 'family'
run in the family
a trait or type of behaviour that is similar in brothers and sisters or in children and parents She's great at singing. But it's no surprise really, being musical runs in the family. You know her grandfather was a famous opera singer and all her sisters play the piano.
start a family
have your first child, become a parent for the first time They've been married for five years and now they want to start a family.
be in the family way
(informal) be pregnant, be expecting a baby No wine for me, just some orange juice. You know I'm in the family way, don't you? So no booze for me for a while.
blended family
new family made up of two people (who were previously married to other partner) and the children from those previous marriages Jill's a single mum and Dan divorced his first wife years ago. With four children between them, they're now a very happy blended family.
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