Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

run in the family

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.26 in modern English

Syllables: run in the -fam-i-ly
IPA

25

Scrabble Score

14

Letters

4

Syllables

12

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To be a characteristic feature that is observed in several generations of a family.

Derogatory

Example Sentences

"We could never understand why any man should choose the career of a chainsmith, except, possibly, for the reason that it ran in the family, for a more arduous and unpleasant manner of earning one's living could scarcely be imagined, unless it was the business of moulding permanent-way chairs in an iron foundry."
"And business runs in the family / We tend to bruise easily bad in the blood"

Usage

Derogatory

Inflected Forms

runs in the family (present, singular) running in the family (participle, present) ran in the family (past)

Synonyms

like father like son the apple does not fall far from the tree

Questions

What does run in the family mean?: To be a characteristic feature that is observed in several generations of a family.

How to pronounce run in the family

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