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

The Barzani Genocide of 1983 saw around 8,000 men and boys from that tribe abducted and murdered. — Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026

In response, a coalition of nine environmental groups and two Native American tribes filed lawsuits saying that the move violates the ESA’s statutory language and inhibits its fundamental goals. — Rebecca Schneid, Time, 19 July 2026

While on the island of Telepylos, Odysseus and his men come across the Laestrygonians, a tribe of cannibalistic giant monsters. — Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 18 July 2026

Indeed, the decline of the Bronze Age was accompanied by a number of seismic events, including a massive, yearslong drought that very well may have pushed a number of tribes around the Eastern Mediterranean to move to other regions. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 17 July 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