next of kin

See synonyms for next of kin on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a person's nearest relative or relatives: The newspaper did not publish the names of casualties until the next of kin had been notified.

  2. Law. the nearest relative or relatives who share in the estate of a person who dies intestate.

Origin of next of kin

1
First recorded in 1760–70

Words Nearby next of kin

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use next of kin in a sentence

  • He knew he was next-of-kin to old Charles Faversham, and would naturally think he would inherit his wealth.

    The Everlasting Arms | Joseph Hocking
  • We shall only get our due by taking it, upon my word, as an honest woman, for as for trusting to the next-of-kin!

    Cousin Pons | Honore de Balzac
  • And if the next-of-kin set aside by the testator should dispute the order, a lawsuit is the result.

    Cousin Pons | Honore de Balzac
  • He's got something to tell which he thinks you, as next-of-kin to our late Mayor, ought to know.

    In the Mayor's Parlour | J. S. (Joseph Smith) Fletcher
  • He was next-of-kin to all lonely and helpless men and women on the Ridge, Michael Brady.

    The Black Opal | Katharine Susannah Prichard

British Dictionary definitions for next of kin

next of kin

noun
  1. a person's closest relative or relatives

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012