clan

noun \ ˈklan \

|Updated on: 15 Aug 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

Outraged by the Hammonds’ sentences, an armed group, led by members of a ranching clan from Nevada, the Bundy family, took over the Malheur refuge.

— matt pearce, latimes.com, "With two pardons, Trump wins goodwill in the ranching world," 11 July 2018
Word of this second imprisonment soon reached the Bundy family, a sprawling ranching clan based in Bunkerville, Nev., that in recent years had emerged as a symbol of the most extreme version of the push against federal land control.

— eileen sullivan, New York Times, "Trump Pardons Oregon Ranchers Whose Case Inspired Wildlife Refuge Takeover," 10 July 2018
The Nation – at least the group that infects social media – is generally a smug and unpleasant clan.

— paul daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Paul Daugherty: Forget numbers when deciding Billy Hamilton's value to the Cincinnati Reds," 7 July 2018
Obviously, this greatly upset the tight-knit Kardashian-Jenner clan, and perhaps no one more than Kim, who went on The Ellen DeGeneres Show to express her disappointment at her sister's beau.

— refinery29.com, "What Does This Gift To Kimye Have To Do With Tristan Thompson? Nothing, Apparently," 25 May 2018
The Blake clan, headed by parents Eric and Dierdre (Richard Thomas and Pamela Reed), have come to Manhattan’s Chinatown for Thanksgiving dinner with their daughters: attorney Aimee (Therese Plaehn) and composer Brigid (Daisy Eagan).

— lawrence toppman, charlotteobserver, "REVIEW: Tony-winning ‘Humans’ at Blumenthal are always in motion | Charlotte Observer," 2 May 2018
In the late 17th century, the settlements were home were an estimated 70 to 80 people with ties to the MacDonald clan, a powerful Scottish group of families.

— julissa treviño, Smithsonian, "Archaeologists Trace ‘Lost Settlements’ of 1692 Glencoe Massacre," 26 Mar. 2018
Then there's the new addition to the Pezzarossi clan.

— robert rhoden, NOLA.com, "Veteran's bionic hand is turning heads in Mandeville," 12 Mar. 2018
In 2009, under then-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, gunmen killed at least 57 people traveling with supporters of a politician challenging a powerful clan in local elections.

— joseph hincks, Time, "Duterte is Assassinating Opponents Under the Cover of the Drug War, Philippine Rights Groups Say," 5 July 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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