fa·mil·iar 
/fəˈmɪljɚ/ adjective
/fəˈmɪljɚ/ adjective [more familiar; most familiar] 1 a : frequently seen, heard, or experienced
▪ a familiar joke/sight ▪ familiar surroundings ▪ The essay covers familiar ground/territory. ▪ It's a sad but (all too) familiar story. ▪ She has become a familiar figure in the world of politics. — often + to ▪ surroundings that are more familiar to us ▪ foods that are already familiar to most Americans
b — used to say that something is easy for you to recognize because you have seen, heard, or experienced it many times in the past ▪ He spotted a familiar face in the crowd. ▪ a familiar voice
c : possibly known but not clearly remembered
▪ He looked familiar [=he looked like someone I had seen before] but I couldn't remember his name. ▪ Her name is/sounds/seems (vaguely) familiar. 2 a : relaxed and informal
▪ She spoke in a familiar way about her past. ▪ an essay written in a familiar style
b : appropriate for use with people you know well
▪ a familiar way of addressing someone
c : too friendly
▪ They felt the waiter was being overly familiar. — often + with ▪ He avoids being overly/too familiar with his employees.
▪ a familiar joke/sight ▪ familiar surroundings ▪ The essay covers familiar ground/territory. ▪ It's a sad but (all too) familiar story. ▪ She has become a familiar figure in the world of politics. — often + to ▪ surroundings that are more familiar to us ▪ foods that are already familiar to most Americans
b — used to say that something is easy for you to recognize because you have seen, heard, or experienced it many times in the past ▪ He spotted a familiar face in the crowd. ▪ a familiar voice
c : possibly known but not clearly remembered
▪ He looked familiar [=he looked like someone I had seen before] but I couldn't remember his name. ▪ Her name is/sounds/seems (vaguely) familiar.
▪ She spoke in a familiar way about her past. ▪ an essay written in a familiar style
b : appropriate for use with people you know well
▪ a familiar way of addressing someone
c : too friendly
▪ They felt the waiter was being overly familiar. — often + with ▪ He avoids being overly/too familiar with his employees.
familiar with
: having some knowledge about (something)
▪ We are familiar with the situation. [=we know about the situation] ▪ I'm not very familiar with that area.
▪ We are familiar with the situation. [=we know about the situation] ▪ I'm not very familiar with that area.
— fa·mil·iar·ly adverb
▪ The coach patted him familiarly on the back. ▪ Locals refer to the Maple Leaf restaurant familiarly [=informally] as ‘The Leaf.’
▪ The coach patted him familiarly on the back. ▪ Locals refer to the Maple Leaf restaurant familiarly [=informally] as ‘The Leaf.’
