tribe

noun

ˈtrīb 

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 tribes

members 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

… my tribe of mom friends …

—Jo Piazza

3

: a category of taxonomic classification ranking below a subfamily

also : a natural group irrespective of taxonomic rank

the cat tribe

the rose tribe

Synonyms of tribe

• family
• clan
• house
• folks

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

Other monikers from indigenous tribes for this month’s full moon include the sleet moon from the Comanche people, the Creek tribe’s wind moon and the crow moon as named by the Shawnee. —Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 31 Jan. 2026

The Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation is located on one of the earliest tribal reservations in the country in Stonington, according to information on the tribe’s website. —Livi Stanford, Hartford Courant, 31 Jan. 2026

Chasing Horse was born on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, home to the Sicangu Sioux, one of the seven tribes of the Lakota Nation. —Stephanie Giang-Paunon, FOXNews.com, 31 Jan. 2026

Representatives from at least 10 tribes traveled hundreds of miles to Minneapolis — the birthplace of the American Indian Movement — to accept ID applications from members there. —Graham Lee Brewer, Fortune, 31 Jan. 2026

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

Phrases Containing tribe

• sub-tribe

Rhymes for tribe

• bribe
• gibe
• jibe
• vibe
• ascribe
• describe
• imbibe
• inscribe
• prescribe
• proscribe
• subscribe
• transcribe

Kids Definition

tribe

noun

ˈtrīb 

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

ˈtrīb 

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