Definition of clan
1a : a Celtic group especially in the Scottish Highlands comprising a number of households whose heads claim descent from a common ancestor the MacDonald clanb : 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
From the M-W Editors
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
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Police arrested Giuseppe Giorgi early Friday in a bunker inside his home in San Luca, the base of some of the most notorious clans of the Calabrian ‘Ndrangheta mob.
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Led by members of the city's Maute clan, the group has become increasingly active across Lanao del Sur province, where Marawi is located, and has been instrumental in the fighting this past week.
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Led by members of the city's Maute clan, the group has become increasingly active across Lanao del Sur province, where Marawi is located, and has been instrumental in the fighting this past week.
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The poles are made of red cedar and the carvings of eagles and ravens represent clans of the area.
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Iran allowed the bin Laden clan to leave the country the following year, and by the time of the 2011 Navy SEAL raid, Hamza's mother and other family members were living at the elder terrorist's Pakistan hideout.
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Iran allowed the bin Laden clan to leave the country the following year, and by the time of the 2011 Navy SEAL raid, Hamza's mother and other family members were living at the elder terrorist's Pakistan hideout.
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Iran allowed the bin Laden clan to leave the country the following year, and by the time of the 2011 Navy SEAL raid, Hamza's mother and other family members were living at the elder terrorist's Pakistan hideout.
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Iran allowed the bin Laden clan to leave the country the following year, and by the time of the 2011 Navy SEAL raid, Hamza’s mother and other family members were living at the elder terrorist’s Pakistan hideout.
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
First Known Use: 15th century
Other Anthropology Terms
CLAN Defined for English Language Learners
clan
playDefinition of clan for English Language Learners
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: a large group of people who are related
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: a large family
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: a group of people who are similar or who are interested in the same thing
CLAN Defined for Kids
clan
playDefinition 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
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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
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