tribe

noun

ˈtrīb 

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 tribes

members 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

… my tribe of mom friends …

—Jo Piazza

3

: a category of taxonomic classification ranking below a subfamily

also : a natural group irrespective of taxonomic rank

the cat tribe

the rose tribe

Synonyms of tribe

• family
• clan
• house
• folks

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

Cluff carried him through the arena for Grand Entry, dancing as intertribal drum groups took turns playing and hundreds of representatives of indigenous tribes danced. — Sarah Gordon, Hartford Courant, 3 Nov. 2026

Eiler was alerted to the discovery by a cultural affairs specialist with the Tohono O’odham Nation, a larger tribe whose reservation is east of Organ Pipe, and later by the Organ Pipe superintendent’s office. — Ryan Devereaux, ProPublica, 2 Nov. 2026

Others said the state, by negotiating deals behind closed doors, had excluded Native tribes. — Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026

Man, there is lot of personal drama over on Toka for a tribe that keeps winning. — Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin tribus, a division of the Roman people, tribe

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing tribe

• sub-tribe

Rhymes for tribe

• bribe
• gibe
• jibe
• vibe
• ascribe
• describe
• imbibe
• inscribe
• prescribe
• proscribe
• subscribe
• transcribe

Kids Definition

tribe

noun

ˈtrīb 

1

: 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

ˈtrīb 

: a category of taxonomic classification sometimes equivalent to or ranking just below a suborder but more commonly ranking below a subfamily