Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1200-1300
Language: Old French
Origin: familier, from Latin familia; FAMILY

familiar

1 adjective
     
fa‧mil‧i‧ar1 S2 W2
1 someone or something that is familiar is well-known to you and easy to recognize:
a familiar tune
look/sound familiar
The voice on the phone sounded familiar.
familiar to
The signs of drug addiction are familiar to most doctors.
It was a relief to be back in familiar surroundings.
Beggars on the street are becoming a familiar sight.
This kind of situation was all too familiar (=very familiar) to John.
Her face seems vaguely familiar, but I can't quite place her.
2

be familiar with something

to have a good knowledge or understanding of something:
Are you familiar with this type of machine?
I'm not familiar with her poetry.
3

be on familiar terms with somebody

to know someone well and be able to talk to them in an informal way:
He's on familiar terms with all the teachers.
4 talking to someone as if you know them well although you do not
familiar with
I thought he was being a bit familiar with my wife.
5 informal and friendly in speech, writing etc:
The novel is written in an easy, familiar style.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

Dictionary pictures of the day
Do you know what each of these is called?
What is the word for picture 1? What is the word for picture 2? What is the word for picture 3? What is the word for picture 4?
Click on any of the pictures above to find out what it is called.

Explore our topic dictionary

Browse the dictionary