clan

noun \ ˈklan \

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

Thanksgiving’s always been weird for the Humphrey-van der Woodsen clan, anyway.

— kara nesvig, Teen Vogue, ""Gossip Girl" Characters: Where Are They 10 Years Later," 31 Aug. 2017
Edelstein was a longtime friend of the Kelly clan, who hailed from East Falls.

— tommy rowan, Philly.com, "How Grace Kelly led to Princess Diana's wearing Eagles gear," 30 Aug. 2017
Three years later, India was free from British colonial rule, and more than 500 princely states — the semi-sovereign principalities ruled by royal clans — faced an uncertain future.

— Washington Post, "7 decades into Indian democracy, a royal palace thrives," 8 Aug. 2017
While some of the Ding clan built business empires here—manufacturing athletic shoes, for instance—Ding Zhize made a name for himself 600 kilometers (373 miles) down the coast in Macau’s casinos.

— jaclyn gallucci, Fortune, "How the World’s Biggest Cyberheist Was Laundered by a Baccarat Binge," 3 Aug. 2017
The youngest of the clan, Awan’s brother Jamal, came on board in 2014 — the then-20-year-old commanding an annual salary of $160,000.

— andrew c. mccarthy, National Review, "Debbie Wasserman Schultz and the Pakistani IT Scammers," 29 July 2017
This vireo is the most colorful of the clan in North Carolina.

— taylor piephoff, charlotteobserver, "A varied serenade greets visitors to Huntersville nature preserve," 20 July 2017
Still, as the White House descends into unabbreviated turmoil, the Trump clan continue to offer a self-conscious front of familial and political unity.

— isobel thompson, The Hive, "Inside Trump’s West Wing: Fear, Recriminations, and No More “Conspiracy Bullshit”," 12 July 2017
Born in 1888 to an upper-middle-class Catholic clan in Quincy, Mass., Beston was encouraged at an early age by his parents to explore the Cape.

— douglas brinkley, New York Times, "Thoreau’s Wilderness Legacy, Beyond the Shores of Walden Pond," 7 July 2017

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

See Words from the same year

clan Synonyms

Synonyms

body, bunch, circle, gang, clique, community, coterie, coven, crowd, fold, galère, klatch (also klatsch), lot, network, pack, ring, set

Related Words

charmed circle, elite, in-group; closed shop; 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

Near Antonyms

loner; individualist

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

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up clan? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

clan

Definition of clan

From the M-W Editors

Examples of clan in a Sentence

Recent Examples of clan from the Web

Origin and Etymology of clan

clan Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

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

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

Learned Fools: On Names for Students

Trending: NY Times: Trump's Call Ignites 'Imbroglio'

The Exceptions Quiz III

17 English Words that Come From Japanese

Words of the Year: 1066