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
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
Merryfield graduated from the school in 2003, and has since learned her clan – Turtle.
—
Frank Vaisvilas, jsonline.com, 31 Aug. 2025
Destiny players are keen to point out things that Destiny Rising does that Destiny 2 should be doing already, like crossbow and dual pistol weapon classes, clan housing and (the return of) sparrow racing.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025
What the rest of the MacKenzies don’t know, however, is that Ellen, in the midst of her grief, has fallen head over heels for Brian, the illegitimate son of the despicable Lord Lovat (Tony Curran) and a member of a rival clan.
—Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 29 Aug. 2025
The clan have dominated Thai politics for more than 20 years, but the government is now on shaky ground.
—Helen Regan, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clan
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Frank Vaisvilas, jsonline.com, 31 Aug. 2025
Destiny players are keen to point out things that Destiny Rising does that Destiny 2 should be doing already, like crossbow and dual pistol weapon classes, clan housing and (the return of) sparrow racing.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025
What the rest of the MacKenzies don’t know, however, is that Ellen, in the midst of her grief, has fallen head over heels for Brian, the illegitimate son of the despicable Lord Lovat (Tony Curran) and a member of a rival clan.
—Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 29 Aug. 2025
The clan have dominated Thai politics for more than 20 years, but the government is now on shaky ground.
—Helen Regan, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clan
Cite this Entry
“Clan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clan. Accessed 7 Sep. 2025.
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