subtribe

noun

sub·​tribe ˈsəb-ˌtrīb How to pronounce subtribe (audio)
variants or sub-tribe
plural subtribes or sub-tribes
: a tribe that is part of a larger tribe
According to tradition the Arapaho were formerly composed of five subtribes, or bands …Barbara A. Leitch

Examples of subtribe in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The triennial is supported by the Auckland Art Gallery Foundation, the Chartwell Trust, and local hapū (subtribe) Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei. News Desk, Artforum, 21 June 2024 Now there are photos The study is the culmination of more than a decade’s worth of work studying butterflies within Euptychiina, the diverse taxonomic subtribe to which the Saurona genus belongs, according to a news release. Kristen Rogers, CNN, 12 May 2023 Tribal norms place a high value on the individuality of every member of a tribe, and no government—including the monarchy that ruled the country from 1747 to 1973—has ever been able to control the country’s hundreds of tribes, subtribes, and clans. Carter Malkasian, Foreign Affairs, 13 Sep. 2022 Khadija Ismayilova, an investigative reporter from Azerbaijan, is an icon among the subtribe of journalists who work to expose cross-border financial corruption. Steve Coll, The New Yorker, 25 July 2021

Word History

First Known Use

1823, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of subtribe was in 1823

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Cite this Entry

“Subtribe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subtribe. Accessed 8 Sep. 2025.

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