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 Later, Klan members Bobby Frank Cherry and Thomas Blanton were convicted and also received life sentences. Deneen L. Brown, Anchorage Daily News, 15 Sep. 2023 Guston’s Klan paintings kneecapped supremacists through humor. Aruna D’souza, New York Times, 19 July 2023 Years later Black renounced his Klan ties and became one of the most liberal members of the U.S. Supreme Court. Greg Garrison , al, 11 Aug. 2023 While the Klan would loudly protest this decision, it was never overturned, and throughout the 1920s Klansmen and Klan meetings simply were not seen in Louisville. Andrew Wolfson, The Courier-Journal, 30 June 2023 When an anonymous Twitter user had objected to police vehicles blocking Brooklyn turning lanes, Adams had compared this person to a Klan member. Ian Parker, The New Yorker, 7 Aug. 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 21 Sep. 2023.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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