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Glite Dictionary
to run in the family

to run in the family

27 3.2
Something many members of the same family have
  • idiom
translation icon : ser hereditario
  • Many health issues, such as heart disease, run in the family.
  • courage runs in the family
  • talent runs in the family
  • twins run in the family

So I think we have to change that, see if it is like if it runs in the family or not.

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Examples

  • It is no surprise that swimming skills run in the family, given that both siblings are professional swimmers.

  • Lauren, I've been born with heart and blood vessel problems that run in the family.

    Blog text (14)

  • Well, you could say it runs in the family.

    Army of Thieves (2021)

  • Well, I guess it runs in the family.

    The Iceman (2012)

  • Either this runs in the family or you were chosen for something.

    Mandao of the Dead (2018)

  • Long years and good eyes run in the family.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • Hurt feelings run in the family.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • Oh, yes, determination runs in the family.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • As far as I know, the disposition often runs in the family.

    Blog text (31)

  • The wit clearly ran in the family.

    Blog text (3)

Antonyms

acquired
  • Specialized
4.1

Not present at birth but learned or developed later

How Common

frequent
234 1.0
to run in the family
27 3.2
occasionally
438 2.0
rare
582 4.1

Surface Forms

run in the family infinitive
ran in the family past
run in the family past participle
running in the family present participle
runs in the family third person singular

Morphology

run + in + the + family

The image of something 'running' through or 'in the family' is a metaphor that B1 learners can often map onto the idea of a trait being common among relatives, so the general sense ('common in the family') is inferable from the parts. However, the specific notion of heredity or recurring trait is a conventionalized, metaphorical extension rather than a literal composition, and cross-linguistic realizations vary, so the meaning is only partially predictable without prior exposure.

Etymology

The idiom run in the family may come from the image of a quality that seems to run along the family line, like a thread moving from parents to children. So, if something runs in the family, it is 'passed down' or 'common' in that family.