family feud
7
3.9
- noun
- /ˈfæmɪli fjuːd/
:
rencor familiar
- But the family feud began to threaten Ankara and its interests in Syria.
- bitter family feud
- start a family feud
- long-running family feud
Examples
-
To end a family feud.
Fiction book (2001) -
The movie portrays a family feud that has lasted for generations, tearing the family apart.
-
Save the family feud for a later date.
Blog text (5) -
I think we walked in on a family feud, guys.
-
With the family feud that's going on, it must be kids gone wild in that house.
Blog text (1) -
These few examples show how a family feud can serve as a microcosm for a larger national conflict.
Academic text (2008) -
AL MVP decision sparks Facebook family feud.
Blog text (5) -
Mexican democracy, then, emerged in an atmosphere of frustrated ambition, personal rancor, and family feuds—not auspicious circumstances for compromise.
Academic text (1999) -
Family feuds were the bitterest—and the quainter the cause, the more heartfelt the resentments.
Fiction book (2001) -
The siblings have been arguing for years, and their family feud is well-known in the community.
Synonyms
93
4.2
A long bitter quarrel between two people, families, or groups
57
9.5
A long bitter fight between families or groups for revenge that often leads to violence
Antonyms
How Bitter
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a long-standing or bitter conflict between family members' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'family' (people related by blood/marriage) with 'feud' (a prolonged bitter conflict). This straightforward noun+noun composition follows normal semantic combination patterns and would be understandable to a B1 learner who knows both constituents.
Etymology
Family feud comes from the clear picture of a whole family split into two sides who feud, meaning they argue, avoid each other, and keep bad feelings for a long time. That's why the phrase means 'a long or bitter argument between members of a family'.