tribe

noun

plural tribes
1
a
: a social group composed chiefly of numerous families, clans, or generations having a shared ancestry and language
b
: a political division of the Roman people originally representing one of the three original tribes of ancient Rome
c
: phyle
2
: a group of persons having a common character, occupation, or interest
3
: a category of taxonomic classification ranking below a subfamily
also : a natural group irrespective of taxonomic rank
the cat tribe
the rose tribe

Examples of tribe in a Sentence

a tribe of artists with wild hair and casual manners the wedding joined the two tribes together
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.
To that end, a new coalition of nonprofits and government agencies has formed to foster collaboration among the many researchers, land managers and tribes working to conserve Joshua trees, with the help of $1.4 million in seed money from California’s Wildlife Conservation Board. Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 28 Nov. 2024 Under the new guidelines, institutions that fall under NAGPRA cannot display Native American, Native Alaskan or Native Hawaiian ancestors or sacred items without permission of descendants, tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations. Stephanie Ramos, ABC News, 26 Nov. 2024 The chicken Hei Hei remains an panicky, adorable dope of a bird indeed, treated like a demigod by the coconut tribe. Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 26 Nov. 2024 The Pilgrims did celebrate a three-day harvest festival in 1621, experts say, but there's no record the Wampanoag tribe in Massachusetts received an official invitation to the party, according to the National Endowment for the Humanities. John Tufts, The Courier-Journal, 26 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for tribe 

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin tribus, a division of the Roman people, tribe

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of tribe was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near tribe

Cite this Entry

“Tribe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tribe. Accessed 11 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

tribe

noun
1
: a social group made up of many families, clans, or generations that share the same language, customs, and beliefs
2
: a group of persons with a common character, occupation, or interest
3
: a group of related plants or animals

Medical Definition

tribe

noun
: a category of taxonomic classification sometimes equivalent to or ranking just below a suborder but more commonly ranking below a subfamily

More from Merriam-Webster on tribe

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