plural tribes
1
a
: a community composed chiefly of numerous families, clans, or generations who have a shared ancestry, culture, and language
nomadic desert tribes
coastal tribes of North America
—often used in the capitalized names of specific tribesmembers of the Hopi Tribe
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
… key pieces of advice: find your tribe online, post that unfiltered selfie …—
Chloe Hall
Chloe Hall… my tribe of mom friends …—Jo Piazza
Jo Piazza3
: 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
The tribe was the fourth between 2002 and 2004 to open or expand its operations, including Agua Caliente in Palm Springs, Morongo in Cabazon and the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Mission Indians in Temecula.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2026
Australian aboriginal peoples, meanwhile, saw a great boomerang in the stellar formation, while the Native American Shawnee tribe envisioned dancing star maidens.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 9 May 2026
Attenborough communicated with the tribe using gestures, looked at their personal ornaments and enquired about the pegs in the ritual punctures in the nose of one of the men.
—Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 8 May 2026
Farmers, cities, tribes and industry could be affected.
—ABC News, 8 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for tribe
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Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2026
Australian aboriginal peoples, meanwhile, saw a great boomerang in the stellar formation, while the Native American Shawnee tribe envisioned dancing star maidens.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 9 May 2026
Attenborough communicated with the tribe using gestures, looked at their personal ornaments and enquired about the pegs in the ritual punctures in the nose of one of the men.
—Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 8 May 2026
Farmers, cities, tribes and industry could be affected.
—ABC News, 8 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for tribe
Cite this Entry
“Tribe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tribe. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tribe
noun1
: 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
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