family is everything
- idiom
- Informal
- My grandmother always said that family is everything, no matter what happens.
Examples
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For him, family is everything, and he always puts them first.
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She reminded her children that family is everything, especially during tough times.
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To me, family is everything!
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I believe that family is everything in life.
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My mother always taught me that family is everything, and that we should always support each other.
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In every situation, he demonstrates that family is everything by prioritizing their needs above his own.
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During the holidays, she gathers everyone together, believing firmly that family is everything and should always come first.
How Important
Surface Forms
Morphology
family + be + everything
The sentence 'family is everything' is a simple predicative construction whose meaning ('family is the most important part of a person's life') follows directly from the literal meanings of 'family', 'be', and 'everything'. This compositional pattern is common across languages and uses standard grammar, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words will readily understand it.
Etymology
Family is everything paints a simple picture: imagine your family at the center of your world with everything else turning around them. So saying this is a way to say family is 'the most important part of your life'.