Klan

noun

plural Klans
often attributive
: ku klux klan
also : a subordinate unit of the Ku Klux Klan
Klanism noun
Klansman noun

Examples of Klan in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Any great opera has a brutal death, and Springer’s offing at the hands of someone who was probably actually gunning for a Klan member in Act 1’s finale is brutal indeed. David John Chávez, The Mercury News, 29 Feb. 2024 Communists, Klan members and fascists were battling one another, according to Life. Tom Stanton, Detroit Free Press, 11 Feb. 2024 This monstrous cinematic masterpiece was released in 1915, and the Klan reëstablished itself as a newly vindictive force of terror the same year. Claudia Roth Pierpont, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2024 An open gate with two Klan gnomes on top ushers visitors into the next gallery. Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 31 Jan. 2024 Before the film came to Atlanta, several men walked up Stone Mountain and set fire to a cross to symbolically resurrect the group -- which would later host Klan rallies, member initiations and more for decades, the Atlanta History Center reports. Kiara Alfonseca, ABC News, 15 Jan. 2024 The Klan and its ghoulish doings were greatly diminished, but the hate endured. Daniel Foster, National Review, 30 Nov. 2023 Santa Fe Klan has signed a management deal with Prajin Parlay Inc., effective immediately, Billboard has learned today (Dec. 22). Jessica Roiz, Billboard, 22 Dec. 2023 In the show’s most shocking moment, a child appears wearing a Klan hood, and some in the audience erupted in laughter; others sat silent. Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 20 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Klan.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

(Ku Klux) Klan

First Known Use

1867, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Klan was in 1867

Dictionary Entries Near Klan

Cite this Entry

“Klan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Klan. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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