plural tribes
1
a
: a community composed chiefly of numerous families, clans, or generations who have a shared ancestry, culture, and language
nomadic desert tribes
coastal tribes of North America
—often used in the capitalized names of specific tribesmembers of the Hopi Tribe
b
: a political division of the Roman people originally representing one of the three original tribes of ancient Rome
c
: phyle
2
: a group of persons having a common character, occupation, or interest
… key pieces of advice: find your tribe online, post that unfiltered selfie …—
Chloe Hall
Chloe Hall… my tribe of mom friends …—Jo Piazza
Jo Piazza3
: a category of taxonomic classification ranking below a subfamily
also
: a natural group irrespective of taxonomic rank
the cat tribe
the rose tribe
Examples of tribe in a Sentence
a tribe of artists with wild hair and casual manners
the wedding joined the two tribes together
Recent Examples on the Web
Single-source grants The legislative auditor’s report found that from July 2022 through December 2024, BHA paid out roughly $200 million annually to counties, tribes and providers for services related to mental health and substance abuse disorder, totaling some 830 separate grant agreements.
—Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 19 Apr. 2026
It could be said that all 100 million acres of California were, at one time, the homes of the 100-plus tribes that are recognized now and the 50 or so seeking federal recognition.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2026
Wild cucumber would be pulverized by indigenous tribes with the powder sprinkled over or sunk into slow-moving water where fish would ingest it, die, and float to the surface.
—Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 16 Apr. 2026
But the plant was built on the edge of the Sepaku Lama village, where many Indigenous people from the Balik tribe have lived for generations.
—Niken Sitoningrum, NPR, 16 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tribe
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 19 Apr. 2026
It could be said that all 100 million acres of California were, at one time, the homes of the 100-plus tribes that are recognized now and the 50 or so seeking federal recognition.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2026
Wild cucumber would be pulverized by indigenous tribes with the powder sprinkled over or sunk into slow-moving water where fish would ingest it, die, and float to the surface.
—Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 16 Apr. 2026
But the plant was built on the edge of the Sepaku Lama village, where many Indigenous people from the Balik tribe have lived for generations.
—Niken Sitoningrum, NPR, 16 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tribe
Cite this Entry
“Tribe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tribe. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tribe
noun1
: a social group made up of many families, clans, or generations that share the same language, customs, and beliefs
2
: a group of persons with a common character, occupation, or interest
3
: a group of related plants or animals
Medical Definition
tribe
noun
: a category of taxonomic classification sometimes equivalent to or ranking just below a suborder but more commonly ranking below a subfamily
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
