Word.ws English Dictionary

the family that sleeps together keeps together

the family that sleeps together keeps together phrase: a supposed motto describing the dynamics of incest.

Phrase

the family that sleeps together keeps together

  1. (humorous) A supposed motto describing the dynamics of incest.
    • In such families incest serves to protect its members against separation anxiety (Eist and Mandel 1968; Gutheil and Avery 1977; Woodbury and Schwartz 1971). Their motto would probably be "The family that sleeps together keeps together."1984, Amnon Carmi, Hanita Zimrin, Child abuse, page 135
    • The family that sleeps together keeps together! In short: A bold but academically challenged German undresses an unconscious Valkyrie, and finds it a whole lot scarier than killing a singing dragon.2001, Robert Thicknesse, Simon Key, The Times Opera Notes: An Accessible Yet Scholarly Guide to Over 90 Major Operas, page 153

Origin of the family that sleeps together keeps together

Parody of the family that prays together stays together. Originally coined by Hugh Hefner in the 1960s to refer to the way sexual intimacy creates bonds between a married couple, the phrase was adopted by others who reinterpreted it to refer to incest.

Questions about the family that sleeps together keeps together

What does the family that sleeps together keeps together mean?
The family that sleeps together keeps together means a supposed motto describing the dynamics of incest.
What part of speech is the family that sleeps together keeps together?
The family that sleeps together keeps together is a phrase.

Words near the family that sleeps together keeps together in the dictionary

  1. The Entrance North
  2. the eyes are the window to the soul
  3. the fact that
  4. the family that lays together stays together
  5. the family that prays together stays together
  6. the family that sleeps together keeps together
  7. The Farm
  8. the fat hit the fire
  9. the fat is in the fire
  10. the feathers fly
  11. the feezy

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: the family that sleeps together keeps together (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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