family member

Meaning

A 'family member' is a person who belongs to your family, such as a parent, sibling, child, aunt, or cousin. It is a slightly more formal but extremely common way to refer to your relatives.

Examples

• Every family member contributed some money to buy our parents a gift.

  Every family member contributed some money to buy our parents a gift.

• She invited only close family members to her small wedding ceremony.

  She invited only close family members to her small wedding ceremony.

• Is there any family member who can help you move to your new apartment?

  Is there any family member who can help you move to your new apartment?

• My dog is treated like a real family member in our house.

  My dog is treated like a real family member in our house.

• He has a large family, but he only stays in touch with a few family members.

  He has a large family, but he only stays in touch with a few family members.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ I have five family members.

  ✓ There are five people in my family.

  While grammatically correct, native speakers rarely say 'I have [number] family members' to describe their household size. They prefer 'There are [number] of us in my family' or 'I have a family of [number].'

• ✗ She is my family's member.

  ✓ She is a member of my family.

  Avoid using the possessive apostrophe-s ('family's member'). Instead, use 'member of my family' or 'family member' as a compound noun.

Related Expressions

Practice

• Each ___ brought a different dish to the Thanksgiving dinner.

  💡 person in the family

  Show answer

  family member

• I need to find a gift for a ___ who loves gardening.

  💡 relative

  Show answer

  family member