Kin
noun
Definition
1. Family and relatives.
2. People related to you by blood.
2. People related to you by blood.
Context Alive
After the funeral, the whole family gathered at the old house. Distant kin who hadn’t seen each other in years sat together sharing memories and old photographs. It was sad, but it also reminded everyone how important family connections really are.
Meanings
1 meaning
1
Family and Relatives (Noun)
Common
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This meaning is about the people you are related to by blood or marriage. Imagine filling out a hospital form and being asked to list your next of kin — the closest family member they should contact in an emergency. This is kin — your relatives, your family, your blood connections. You might hear “she went to live with her husband’s kin” or read “he had no living kin left in the country.” Or picture a family reunion where all your kin come together from different cities — cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents. The word carries a sense of deep family bonds and shared blood. ✏️ “Next of kin” is the most common expression — it means your closest living relative, and you’ll see it on hospital and legal forms everywhere.
Vivid ExampleThe old man had lived alone for years with no kin nearby. When he passed away, the hospital had to search through his records to find a distant cousin. She flew in from another country just to arrange the funeral.
Examples from the Street
“We need to contact her next of kin — does anyone have a number for her family?”
We need to reach her closest living relative — does anybody have contact details for a family member?
“He’s no kin of mine — I want nothing to do with him.”
He’s not a relative of mine — I don’t want any connection with him whatsoever
“She treats her close friends like kin — they’re basically family to her.”
She considers her closest friends to be the same as relatives — they’re essentially family in her eyes
Common Patterns
next of kin → the closest living relative (formal/official term)
kith and kin → friends and family (old-fashioned but still recognised)
no kin of mine → not my relative; I reject any connection with this person
treat [someone] like/as kin → treat someone as if they were family
close/distant kin → near or far relatives
kin to [something/someone] → similar or related in character or nature
kindred/kin spirits → people who share the same values, interests, or temperament
our kin → people we identify with as part of the same group, community, or culture
Collocations
3 collocationsnext of kin
your closest living relative
kith and kin
friends and family
kindred spirit
someone who shares your values and feelings
Example Sentences
12 examples
1
The hospital asked for the name and phone number of my next of kin before the operation
The medical centre requested the contact details of my closest living relative prior to the surgical procedure.
2
When filling out the emergency form, she listed her sister as her next of kin
While completing the urgent contact document, she wrote down her sibling as her nearest family member.
3
He invited all his kith and kin to the wedding — the guest list ended up at three hundred people
He asked every friend and family member to attend the ceremony — the number of invitees reached three hundred.
4
After the argument, she said he was no kin of hers and refused to speak to him again
Following the disagreement, she declared he was not a relative she acknowledged and would not communicate with him any further.
5
In many cultures, you’re expected to help your kin financially, even if it puts a strain on your own budget
In numerous societies, there’s an expectation that you support your relatives with money, even when doing so creates pressure on your personal finances.
6
She had no close kin left — both parents had passed away and she was an only child
She had no near relatives remaining — her mother and father had both died, and she had no brothers or sisters.
7
He discovered distant kin in Canada that he never knew existed through an ancestry website
He found far-removed family members living in North America that he’d been completely unaware of via a genealogy platform.
8
The neighbours treated the orphaned boy like kin — they fed him, clothed him, and raised him as their own
The people living next door cared for the parentless child as though he were family — they provided him with food, clothing, and brought him up alongside their own children.
9
His dark sense of humour felt kin to mine — we understood each other immediately
His morbid comedic style was closely aligned with my own — we connected and related to each other straight away.
10
The novel tells the story of a woman searching for her kin after being separated from her family during the war
The book follows a woman looking for her blood relatives after being torn apart from her family during the armed conflict.
Learner Examples
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Students who share the same first language often treat each other like kin in a foreign classroom — they naturally support and protect one another
Learners who speak the same mother tongue frequently behave towards each other as though they were family in an overseas setting — they instinctively help and look out for one another.
★
Every school registration form asks for a next of kin — it’s one of the first English phrases international students encounter when enrolling
Every enrolment document requests the details of a closest relative — it’s one of the earliest English expressions foreign learners come across when signing up for courses.
Phrasal Verbs & Idioms
2 items Idioms & Expressionsnext of kin — closest living relative
The hospital asked for my next of kin information.
kith and kin — friends and relatives
She invited all her kith and kin to the wedding.
Synonyms & Antonyms
6 items
Synonymsrelatives
family members
family
related people
relations
people you're related to
folk
informal, your people
Antonymsstrangers
unrelated people
outsiders
not part of the family