clan

noun \ ˈklan \

|Updated on: 20 Jun 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

Some members of the clan are present that were not at the royal wedding last month.

— erica gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Meghan Markle Joins the Royal Family on the Buckingham Palace Balcony for the First Time," 9 June 2018
Campbell has reported on Asia for TIME for five years, including the last two as Beijing correspondent, and has written dozens of stories on North Korea, including its nuclear program, the kidnap of citizens and the psychology of the Kim clan.

— suyin haynes, Time, "Six Things We Learned About the Trump-Kim Summit From the Reddit AMA with TIME's Charlie Campbell," 7 June 2018
Kanye West isn’t the only member of the Kardashian clan getting political.

— sara m moniuszko, USA TODAY, "Kim Kardashian is set to meet with White House officials today. But why?," 30 May 2018
As is the case for most of us, the extended members of Meghan’s clan include some relatively rational and steady people, and some who are a bit more volatile, self-promoting, or simply ignorant of the ways of tabloid media.

— jill filipovic, Teen Vogue, "Meghan Markle’s Royal Wedding Is Not Your Average Disney Princess Fantasy," 19 May 2018
And Zak is not the first member of the Dacus clan to be part of the theater.

— punch shaw, star-telegram, "At 60, this cultural district playhouse shows no signs of slowing down | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 10 May 2018
Members of the Bush clan became close to Clinton after their presidencies, eventually setting aside the tough words of the 1992 presidential campaign.

— laura mcknight, NOLA.com, "Agencies investigating shooting on West Bank: JPSO," 9 May 2018
The attacks were carried out by members of the breakaway Bergholz clan — and the mastermind behind them, Amish bishop Sam Mullet, Sr.

— jared gilmour, miamiherald, "Mastermind of Amish beard-cutting raids is in prison — and he’s staying put, judge says | Miami Herald," 4 May 2018
The Vanderbilts had long been a clan of extremes—parties, mansions, marriages—that made for great copy.

— nancy bilyeau, Town & Country, "Inside the Custody Battle for 10-Year-Old Heiress Gloria Vanderbilt," 30 Sep. 2016

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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