Meanings
- alternativeeuphemisticAlternative form of in the family way.
Three pregnancies occur in this novel: Nina, Fran and Danielle all find themselves in a family way.
2005 April 15, Carolyn See, "Squab and Squabbles" (book review of Mothers and Sons by Paul Hond), Washington Post, p. C03 (retrieved 11 Aug. 2008)2 more examples
She mentioned that she was in a family way and . . . stated that she needed all her money to pay the doctor's bills at the approaching deliverance.
1855 August 25, “Law Intelligence: Supreme Court—Special Term”, in New York Times, page 8Her way of paying for these gift subscriptions was to choose one of her sows which was in a family way and, when the sow littered, to sell its offspring.
1947 November 10, “Dear TIME-Reader”, in Time, retrieved 11 Aug 2008 - Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see family, way.
The congregation agrees in a family way to take care of them for life.
2002 August 9, John Rivera, “Religious orders set to adopt milder stance on sex abusers”, in Baltimore Sun, retrieved 11 Aug 20081 more example
Why don't we ask him and his ladies to come over in a family way and dine with some other plain country gentlefolks?
1859, William Makepeace Thackeray, chapter 58, in The Virginians
Synonyms & antonyms
Cite this entry
in a family way. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20a%20family%20way
“in a family way.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20a%20family%20way. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “in a family way,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20a%20family%20way.
Source: in a family way on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.