Family is one of the most important parts of our lives, and there are many idioms in English that express the love, support, challenges, and connections we share with our relatives. These idioms don’t always mean what they say word for word, but they offer powerful, imaginative ways to talk about our family relationships. Learning family-related idioms can help you better describe your feelings, tell stories more colorfully, and connect with others through shared language.
Whether you’re talking about siblings, parents, children, or extended family, these idioms help paint a vivid picture of what family life is like. Some idioms are funny, some are heartwarming, and others are full of wisdom passed down through generations. In this post, you’ll explore 50 popular idioms related to family, their meanings, how to use them in real-life conversations, and some easy-to-remember alternatives. Let’s jump into these expressive phrases that celebrate the people closest to us!
Idioms for Family
1. Blood is thicker than water
Meaning: Family relationships are stronger than other relationships.
In a Sentence: Even though we fight, I’ll always choose to help my brother first—blood is thicker than water.
Other Ways to Say: Family comes first, Family ties are strong
2. Like father, like son
Meaning: A son usually behaves or looks like his father.
In a Sentence: James loves fixing cars just like his dad—like father, like son.
Other Ways to Say: The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, Just like his dad
3. Runs in the family
Meaning: A trait or habit that many people in the same family share.
In a Sentence: Everyone in her family is good at music; talent clearly runs in the family.
Other Ways to Say: Family trait, Passed down
4. The black sheep of the family
Meaning: A person who is very different or doesn’t fit in with the rest of the family.
In a Sentence: Uncle Ray is the black sheep of the family because he lives off the grid and never comes to family events.
Other Ways to Say: The odd one out, Doesn’t follow the family’s ways
5. Chip off the old block
Meaning: A person, usually a child, who closely resembles one of their parents.
In a Sentence: My daughter is a real chip off the old block—just as clever and sarcastic as I was at her age.
Other Ways to Say: Just like the parent, Similar in personality
6. Flesh and blood
Meaning: A person who is related to you by birth.
In a Sentence: He may be annoying, but he’s my flesh and blood, so I’ll always stand by him.
Other Ways to Say: Family by birth, Biological relative
7. The spitting image
Meaning: Someone who looks exactly like another person.
In a Sentence: My son is the spitting image of his grandfather—they could be twins from different generations.
Other Ways to Say: Looks identical, Exact look-alike
8. Born with a silver spoon in one’s mouth
Meaning: Born into a wealthy or privileged family.
In a Sentence: She was born with a silver spoon in her mouth and never had to worry about money.
Other Ways to Say: Born rich, Comes from money
9. A family affair
Meaning: Something that involves the whole family.
In a Sentence: Sunday dinners are a family affair where everyone helps out in the kitchen.
Other Ways to Say: Whole-family event, Shared family activity
10. Close-knit family
Meaning: A family whose members have strong relationships and spend time together.
In a Sentence: We’re a close-knit family that loves game nights and camping trips.
Other Ways to Say: Very connected family, Strong family bond
11. Skeleton in the closet
Meaning: A family secret that people prefer to keep hidden.
In a Sentence: Every family has a skeleton in the closet, and ours is no different.
Other Ways to Say: Hidden secret, Something not talked about
12. Bring home the bacon
Meaning: To earn money to support the family.
In a Sentence: Dad works two jobs to bring home the bacon and keep everything running smoothly.
Other Ways to Say: Be the breadwinner, Support the family financially
13. Like mother, like daughter
Meaning: A daughter is similar in behavior or personality to her mother.
In a Sentence: Sarah is just as independent and bold as her mom—like mother, like daughter.
Other Ways to Say: Takes after her mom, Similar in spirit
14. No spring chicken
Meaning: Someone who is no longer young, often used for older family members with humor.
In a Sentence: Grandma may be no spring chicken, but she still dances at every wedding.
Other Ways to Say: Older person, Not young anymore
15. Rule the roost
Meaning: To be the person in charge in a family or household.
In a Sentence: It’s clear that Mom rules the roost when it comes to decisions at home.
Other Ways to Say: Head of the house, The boss at home
16. Tie the knot
Meaning: To get married.
In a Sentence: My cousin is finally tying the knot next weekend after ten years of dating.
Other Ways to Say: Get hitched, Say “I do”
17. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree
Meaning: Children are similar to their parents in character or behavior.
In a Sentence: With all her clever jokes and big dreams, Mia proves that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
Other Ways to Say: Like parent, like child; Very alike
18. Father figure
Meaning: A man who acts like a father to someone, even if they are not biologically related.
In a Sentence: My uncle has always been a father figure to me since my dad passed away.
Other Ways to Say: Male role model, Guiding fatherly presence
19. Mother hen
Meaning: Someone, often a woman, who takes care of others in a protective way.
In a Sentence: My sister is such a mother hen—always making sure we eat well and stay safe.
Other Ways to Say: Very caring person, Protective figure
20. In the same boat
Meaning: Facing the same problems or situation together, often as a family.
In a Sentence: We were all in the same boat when the power went out, so we lit candles and played board games.
Other Ways to Say: Going through it together, Facing the same challenges
21. Runs in the blood
Meaning: A trait or skill that many family members have.
In a Sentence: Artistic talent runs in the blood of that family—everyone paints or draws beautifully.
Other Ways to Say: Passed through generations, Family skill
22. Family feud
Meaning: A serious disagreement or fight between family members.
In a Sentence: The family feud lasted for years until they finally decided to forgive and move on.
Other Ways to Say: Family argument, Ongoing disagreement
23. Wear the pants in the family
Meaning: To be the person who has control or makes decisions in the family.
In a Sentence: Everyone knows Grandma wears the pants in our family—what she says, goes.
Other Ways to Say: Has the final say, Makes the decisions
24. Helicopter parent
Meaning: A parent who pays extremely close attention to their child’s life and behavior.
In a Sentence: My dad’s such a helicopter parent—he tracks every assignment I get in school.
Other Ways to Say: Overprotective parent, Micromanaging parent
25. Like two peas in a pod
Meaning: Two family members who are very similar and inseparable.
In a Sentence: My twin cousins are like two peas in a pod—they finish each other’s sentences.
Other Ways to Say: Extremely close, Always together
26. A house divided
Meaning: A family or group that is in conflict with each other.
In a Sentence: After the disagreement over the inheritance, they were a house divided for years.
Other Ways to Say: Broken home, Family at odds
27. Out of the nest
Meaning: When a child leaves home to live independently.
In a Sentence: When Jenna left for college, it felt like my baby bird was finally out of the nest.
Other Ways to Say: Living on their own, Left home
28. Your own flesh and blood
Meaning: Referring to someone who is your direct relative.
In a Sentence: How could you ignore your own flesh and blood during such a difficult time?
Other Ways to Say: Biological family, Close relative
29. Born into
Meaning: To be part of a family or situation from birth.
In a Sentence: He was born into a family of doctors, but he chose to become a chef instead.
Other Ways to Say: Raised in, Came from
30. The baby of the family
Meaning: The youngest person in the family.
In a Sentence: Even though he’s 25, we still treat him like the baby of the family.
Other Ways to Say: Youngest sibling, Little one
31. Put someone up for adoption
Meaning: To legally give a child to another family to raise.
In a Sentence: She was put up for adoption as a baby but later found her birth parents.
Other Ways to Say: Gave up for adoption, Placed in another home
32. Runs in the bloodline
Meaning: Something that is passed down through generations.
In a Sentence: That fiery temper definitely runs in the bloodline—Grandpa had it too!
Other Ways to Say: Family trait, Inherited quality
33. Family tree
Meaning: A diagram showing a person’s ancestry and relatives.
In a Sentence: We traced our family tree back five generations to Scotland.
Other Ways to Say: Genealogy chart, Family history
34. Take after someone
Meaning: To resemble a family member in looks or behavior.
In a Sentence: She really takes after her mom when it comes to being organized.
Other Ways to Say: Resembles, Acts like
35. Hand-me-down
Meaning: Clothes or items passed from older siblings to younger ones.
In a Sentence: Most of my toys were hand-me-downs from my older brother.
Other Ways to Say: Secondhand item, Passed down
36. Family resemblance
Meaning: When people in a family look alike.
In a Sentence: There’s a strong family resemblance between the cousins—they all have the same eyes.
Other Ways to Say: Look similar, Shared features
37. Raise a family
Meaning: To bring up children and take care of a household.
In a Sentence: They moved to the suburbs because they wanted to raise a family in a quiet neighborhood.
Other Ways to Say: Start a family, Bring up kids
38. Home is where the heart is
Meaning: A place feels like home when your loved ones are there.
In a Sentence: Even though we moved often, home was always where the heart is for us.
Other Ways to Say: Family makes it home, Heartfelt place
39. Start a family
Meaning: To begin having children.
In a Sentence: They got married last year and are now planning to start a family.
Other Ways to Say: Have kids, Begin family life
40. Black sheep
Meaning: Someone who is viewed as different or shameful in a family.
In a Sentence: He became the black sheep after dropping out of law school to become an artist.
Other Ways to Say: Outcast, Disapproved relative
41. Mama’s boy
Meaning: A man overly attached to his mother.
In a Sentence: He’s a total mama’s boy—he still calls her three times a day.
Other Ways to Say: Attached to mother, Overly dependent
42. Pop the question
Meaning: To propose marriage.
In a Sentence: After five years of dating, he finally popped the question at the beach.
Other Ways to Say: Propose, Ask to marry
43. Bundle of joy
Meaning: A newborn baby.
In a Sentence: They were so happy when their bundle of joy arrived last month.
Other Ways to Say: Newborn, Baby
44. Like cat and dog
Meaning: Family members who argue often.
In a Sentence: My siblings used to fight like cat and dog over the TV remote.
Other Ways to Say: Constantly argue, Never get along
45. My old man / My old lady
Meaning: Informal way to refer to one’s father or mother (sometimes spouse).
In a Sentence: My old man still gives the best advice when I need help.
Other Ways to Say: Dad, Mom, Partner (informally)
46. All in the family
Meaning: When something stays or happens within the family.
In a Sentence: The bakery has always been passed down—everything is all in the family.
Other Ways to Say: Kept in the family, Handed down
47. Be a chip off the old block
Meaning: Be very similar to one’s parent, especially in behavior.
In a Sentence: He’s such a chip off the old block—just as curious and clever as his mom.
Other Ways to Say: Very much alike, Just like the parent
48. Kiss and make up
Meaning: To forgive each other after an argument.
In a Sentence: After their argument, the sisters finally decided to kiss and make up.
Other Ways to Say: Forgive and forget, Reconcile
49. Family man
Meaning: A man who is devoted to his family.
In a Sentence: He’s a real family man—he spends every weekend with his kids.
Other Ways to Say: Family-focused, Devoted dad
50. Generation gap
Meaning: The difference in values or opinions between younger and older family members.
In a Sentence: My grandpa doesn’t understand social media—it’s a classic generation gap.
Other Ways to Say: Difference in perspective, Age divide
Exercise to Practice
Fill in the blanks using the idioms:
- Even if we disagree, I’ll always support my brother—________ is thicker than water.
- I’m finally leaving for college, which means I’m officially out of the ________.
- With their matching clothes and identical laughs, those two are like two ________ in a pod.
- She’s always hovering and checking in on everything—I swear she’s a ________ parent.
- He earns enough to support the whole family and really brings home the ________.
- The whole family is invited to the reunion; it’s a complete family ________.
- I definitely take ________ my dad—I tell the same cheesy jokes.
- Don’t be surprised if they argue—they’ve always fought like cat and ________.
- Their passion for music clearly runs in the ________.
- Even though we just moved again, I feel settled—home is where the ________ is.
- Our great-grandparents came from Italy; we saw it in our family ________.
- After the big fight, they hugged it out and decided to kiss and ________ up.
Answers:
blood, nest, peas, helicopter, bacon, affair, after, dog, blood, heart, tree, make
Conclusion
Family idioms offer a playful, expressive way to talk about the relationships and experiences that shape our lives. Whether it’s describing the bond between siblings, honoring our parents, or even poking fun at the drama that happens in every household, these phrases give our stories more personality and heart.
Try using some of these idioms in your daily conversations with family and friends, and notice how they make your speech more vivid and relatable. The more you practice, the more natural they’ll become. After all, language is more than just words—it’s a connection, and nothing connects us quite like family.
