family unit
- noun
- /ˈfæmɪli ˈjuːnɪt/
- A strong family unit provides emotional support and stability for children.
- a nuclear family unit
- a single family unit
- a large family unit
They had to me what I saw as the happy family, you know, the family unit.
- They had to me what I saw as the happy family, you know, the family unit.
- But these two, you know, our writer here and Kyle and Grayson, they also need some time as a family unit to establish their own bonds, right?
- So, and when you get down to like how many or how many real whole families, like like family units, real whole family units are there.
- And the other one had the most sort of perfect background, like functioning family unit and had a great education, great job and everything.
- We started seeing a big change of family units and unaccompanied children and mainly Central Americans in the last five or six years.
- So they become a unit, they become a family unit of criminals.
- And they come from really sad, often sad backgrounds where the sub family unit wasn't as strong.
- So, and what he does as well, so he, he gets into family units as well.
- So it's it is the press, the education system, the law, the family unit and religion and religion.
- She pulled the family unit into balance and and I was, I treated my wife like a Princess.
- And through all the therapy, years and years of therapy, I have done away with those behaviors which were causing friction between US and the family unit.
Examples
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The disintegration of the traditional family unit is often judged to be the prime culprit.
Academic text (1993) -
A further characteristic of the culture is an emphasis on the family unit rather than on the individual.
Academic text (1993) -
And we are a family unit.
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This trip was supposed to be about the new family unit.
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I am the head of this family unit!
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The modern world offers many alternatives to the security of the family unit.
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The value of in-kind benefits is affected by the size and location of the family unit.
Academic text (1994) -
In my experience, family unit members are eager to help in similar tasks under the nurse's guidance.
Academic text (2002) -
We started seeing a big change of family units and unaccompanied children and mainly Central Americans in the last five or six years.
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Maintaining a cohesive family unit is a theme that today's young people meet in literature.
Academic text (1991)
Synonyms
People who live together in one home, usually parents and their children
A group of people who live together in one home
The people who live together in one home, often a family
A family with just parents and their children
A household of people who live together and share everyday life
How Big
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly derivable from combining 'family' (household of parents and children) with 'unit' (a single grouping or entity), i.e. the family regarded as one household entity. This noun+noun composition is common and cross-linguistically transparent, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily understand it.
Etymology
Family unit: The term family unit comes from the idea of treating the family as one unit, like a single team or box that includes parents and children. People who made rules or gave help often thought of a family as one unit to count or support everyone together, so the phrase now means 'a single household'.