family style
adverb or adjective
: with the food placed on the table in serving dishes from which those eating may help themselves
Examples of family style in a Sentence
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Also known as Frogmore stew in the Beaufort, South Carolina, area, the Lowcountry boil is typically served outdoors; simply boil and spread the feast out on newspaper at the picnic table so everyone can dig in family style.
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Food Drink Life, The Mercury News, 31 Aug. 2024
The ‘Summer Smoke’ event at Rodney Strong winery, which included a family style dinner, was held outdoors on the vast green lawn overlooking their vineyards in Sonoma County.
—Liz Thach, Forbes, 16 Aug. 2024
Dinner was served family style as the couple’s bridesmaids and groomsmen made speeches.
—Elise Taylor, Vogue, 8 Aug. 2024
Food is served family style rather than a formal sit-down.
—Rebecca Jennings, Vox, 1 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for family style 
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Food Drink Life, The Mercury News, 31 Aug. 2024
The ‘Summer Smoke’ event at Rodney Strong winery, which included a family style dinner, was held outdoors on the vast green lawn overlooking their vineyards in Sonoma County.
—Liz Thach, Forbes, 16 Aug. 2024
Dinner was served family style as the couple’s bridesmaids and groomsmen made speeches.
—Elise Taylor, Vogue, 8 Aug. 2024
Food is served family style rather than a formal sit-down.
—Rebecca Jennings, Vox, 1 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for family style
Dictionary Entries Near family style
Cite this Entry
“Family style.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/family%20style. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.
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