clan

noun

ˈklan 

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

Synonyms

• community
• crowd
• pack
• network
• bunch
• clique
• gang
• circle
• coven
• organization

Examples of clan in a Sentence

The tribe is divided into clans.

The whole clan gets together for the holidays.

Recent Examples on the Web

Yet the unit also targets dissenters and those, including various clans, some backed by Israel, that dare to defy Hamas’s rule. —Sean Durns, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025

Simon tasks Murtagh with attending a Jacobite meeting in order to advise Lord Lovat on which alliance the clan should take up. —Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 12 Sep. 2025

The Bellarie clan, meanwhile, is deep in their own drama, and Kimmie's rise to power looms like a Sword of Damocles. —Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Sep. 2025

The Demoulas clan has been warring over control of the popular chain that has 90 stores in four states — Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, and Rhode Island. —Joe Dwinell, Boston Herald, 10 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing clan

• inter-clan
• sub-clan

Rhymes for clan

• an
• ban
• bran
• can
• cann
• duan
• fan
• flan
• gran
• jann
• klan
• lan

Kids Definition

clan

noun

ˈklan 

1

a

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

b

: a group of people having a common ancestor : family

2

: a group of persons united by a common interest

the whole clan of actors