Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Wiktionary
n. 1 Closest blood relative, heir to inheritance. 2 Close friend, spouse, partner (for example on hospital admission form), loved one, one of someone's close ones.
WordNet
n. the person who is (or persons who are) most closely related to a given person
Wikipedia
Next of kin is a person's closest living blood relative or relatives.
Next of Kin may also refer to:
Next of Kin, also known as The Space Willies, is a science fiction comic novel by Eric Frank Russell. It is the story of a military misfit who successfully conducts a one-man psychological warfare operation against an alien race and its allies, with whom humans and allied races are at war. It was published under the title Next of Kin in 1959. A novella-length version was published in Astounding Science Fiction in 1956 as "Plus X", then published in somewhat expanded form by ACE Books as The Space Willies in 1958.
Next of Kin is a British sitcom that aired on BBC1 from 15 May 1995 to 20 February 1997. It starred Penelope Keith in her last regular sitcom role. The plot follows well-to-do couple Maggie and Andrew Prentice who are forced to abandon their dreams of early retirement after they reluctantly become guardians of their orphaned grandchildren, after the death of their estranged son. It was written by Gavin Petrie and Jan Etherington.
It was announced in The Mirror newspaper in April 1997 that Next of Kin had been axed by the BBC and that Penelope Keith was furious.
Next of Kin is a 1989 American action film directed by John Irvin and starring Patrick Swayze and Liam Neeson, with Adam Baldwin and Ben Stiller in one of his earliest roles. The screenplay was based on a story of the same title, both written by Michael Jenning.
Next of Kin is a 1984 film directed by Atom Egoyan.
Next of Kin are an English pop rock band from Braintree, Essex, comprising brothers Nathan (drums), Mark (guitar) and Kieran Bass (bass guitar).
Next of Kin is a 1997 book by Roger Fouts combining his experiences with Washoe and other chimpanzees who learned American Sign Language, and a polemic in favor of great ape personhood.
Next of Kin is a 1982 Australian horror film directed by Tony Williams.
The screenplay is by Tony Williams and Michael Heath and starring Jacki Kerin and John Jarratt.
The film was featured in the documentary Not Quite Hollywood where it was praised by Quentin Tarantino.
Usage examples of "next of kin".
If they cannot for some reason keep it, then the next of kin will pick up their duty.
If I knew the name of Adele's next of kin, I might get a lead on her whereabouts.
Those bones were undisturbed, because only the next of kin could handle them with honor for their spirits.
In the absence of Brandon, who had been appointed your guardian, her instructions were followed, as the only available next of kin.
I am your next of kin, and I know you made a will before you went to war.
He listed you as his next of kin, so that you might guess why he had died, and perhaps so that you could use that knowledge against Loren.
They were sometimes given as mementoes to the next of kin of postulants entering the old religious orders.