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 Navajo count 300,000-plus members among the tribe, second most populous in the United States behind only the Cherokee.
—Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 13 June 2026
From a new return-to-office policy, to an indigenous tribe reclaiming ancestral land, here’s a roundup of the top Sacramento Bee stories from this past week.
—Ruyuan Li. Summary Produced By Ai Assistance, Sacbee.com, 13 June 2026
Some Native American tribes never stopped drinking it, but its widespread use eventually faded away.
—Randi Gollin, Martha Stewart, 12 June 2026
Still, Wyoming’s wolves do appear to be a bit heavier than gray wolves in other parts of the Lower 48, according to figures in Wyoming’s annual gray wolf monitoring and management report, published last month by Wyoming Game and Fish, plus several federal agencies and tribes.
—Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 11 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for tribe
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.
Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 13 June 2026
From a new return-to-office policy, to an indigenous tribe reclaiming ancestral land, here’s a roundup of the top Sacramento Bee stories from this past week.
—Ruyuan Li. Summary Produced By Ai Assistance, Sacbee.com, 13 June 2026
Some Native American tribes never stopped drinking it, but its widespread use eventually faded away.
—Randi Gollin, Martha Stewart, 12 June 2026
Still, Wyoming’s wolves do appear to be a bit heavier than gray wolves in other parts of the Lower 48, according to figures in Wyoming’s annual gray wolf monitoring and management report, published last month by Wyoming Game and Fish, plus several federal agencies and tribes.
—Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 11 June 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 15 Jun. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
