the family jewels
plural noun
1
: jewelry that has been passed from one generation to another
She inherited the family jewels after the death of her grandmother.
2
informal + humorous
: a man's sexual organs
Examples of the family jewels in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Guendalina soon ran off with a croupier, taking her husband’s fortune with her, including, ironically, the family jewels.
—
Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
On Monday, the Murdoch family announced the settlement over the trust, with Lachlan securing control of the family jewels: News Corp. and Fox Corp.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 10 Sep. 2025
These are not the family jewels King Charles III waited for his whole life.
—Yelena Moroz Alpert, House Beautiful, 7 May 2023
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
On Monday, the Murdoch family announced the settlement over the trust, with Lachlan securing control of the family jewels: News Corp. and Fox Corp.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 10 Sep. 2025
These are not the family jewels King Charles III waited for his whole life.
—Yelena Moroz Alpert, House Beautiful, 7 May 2023
Cite this Entry
“The family jewels.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20family%20jewels. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
