clan

noun \ ˈklan \

Updated on: 9 May 2018

Definition of clan

1 a : a Celtic group especially in the Scottish Highlands comprising a number of households whose heads claim descent from a common ancestor

the MacDonald clan

b : a group of people tracing descent from a common ancestor : family

The whole clan gets together for the holidays.

2 : a group united by a common interest or common characteristics

the country club clan

See clan defined for English-language learners

See clan defined for kids

Examples of clan in a Sentence

The tribe is divided into clans.
The whole clan gets together for the holidays.

Recent Examples of clan from the Web

East Pender Street in Vancouver’s Chinatown is home to many such clubs for clans or benevolent associations.

— The Economist, "The property battle in Vancouver’s Chinatown," 12 Apr. 2018
Neither the Kardashian clan nor Thompson has commented on the rumors.

— andrea mandell, USA TODAY, "Khloe Kardashian gives birth to a baby girl in Cleveland," 12 Apr. 2018
And come the weekend, the whole clan could reserve train tickets to visit grandma in the suburbs.

— aarian marshall, WIRED, "Uber's New Bid for Dominance: Controlling Every Way You Move," 11 Apr. 2018
The superhumanly durable appeal of the Kennedy clan and its attendant tragedies and losses remains a riddle, a paradox and a wellspring of guesswork.

— michael phillips, chicagotribune.com, "'Chappaquiddick' review: Selling a tragedy, the Kennedy way," 5 Apr. 2018
Despite their booming business, though, the Balducci clan was as mismatched as bread and butter on an authentic Italian table.

— sam roberts, BostonGlobe.com, "Andrew Balducci, who turned a market into a food mecca, dies at 92," 31 Mar. 2018
The network shelled out $150 million in October to resign the Kardashian-Jenner clan for five more seasons of Keeping up with the Kardashians, which makes Seacrest about $15 million each year as the show’s producer.

— grace donnelly, Fortune, "How 'American Idol' Host Ryan Seacrest Escaped His Sexual Harassment Allegations Unscathed," 11 Mar. 2018
On Sunday’s season finale of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, Khloé saved the best news for last – the announcement that the Kardashian-Jenner clan will welcome another girl into their famous family.

— peggy truong, Cosmopolitan, "Khloé Kardashian Finally Confirms Her Baby's Sex on The KUWTK Season Finale," 5 Mar. 2018
And what's going to happen now that the Wolowitz clan is a family of four?

— jessica radloff, Glamour, "'The Big Bang Theory' Season 11 Episode 16 Recap: Bernadette Gives Birth to a Baby Boy," 1 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'clan.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of clan

Middle English, from Scottish Gaelic clann offspring, clan, from Old Irish cland plant, offspring, from Latin planta plant

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

clan Synonyms

Synonyms

body, bunch, circle, clique, community, coterie, coven, crowd, fold, gang, lot, network, pack, ring, set;

Related Words

charmed circle, elite, in-group;

club, college, fellowship, guild (also gild), league, organization, society;

camp, faction, sect, side, tribe;

mess, squad;

brotherhood, fraternity, order, sisterhood, sodality, sorority;

commune;

alliance, bloc, coalition, confederation, congress, council, federation, union;

Other Anthropology Terms

ectomorph, ethnography, prehistory, yurt

CLAN Defined for English Language Learners

clan

noun

Definition of clan for English Language Learners

: a large group of people who are related
: a large family
: a group of people who are similar or who are interested in the same thing

CLAN Defined for Kids

clan

noun \ ˈklan \

Definition of clan for Students

1 : a group (as in the Scottish Highlands) made up of households whose heads claim to have a common ancestor

2 : a large family

Learn More about clan

See words that rhyme with clan Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for clan Spanish Central: Translation of clan Nglish: Translation of clan for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of clan for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about clan

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clan

Definition of clan

Examples of clan in a Sentence

Recent Examples of clan from the Web

Origin and Etymology of clan

clan Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Other Anthropology Terms

CLAN Defined for English Language Learners

clan

Definition of clan for English Language Learners

CLAN Defined for Kids

clan

Definition of clan for Students

Learn More about clan

Seen and Heard

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