tribe

noun \ ˈtrīb \

|Updated on: 18 Aug 2018

Definition of tribe

1 a : a social group comprising numerous families, clans, or generations together with slaves, dependents, or adopted strangers

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

See tribe defined for English-language learners

See tribe defined for kids

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 of tribe from the Web

Nearly a century later, that blend of modern and traditional cultural inspirations continues to impact Shanghai’s style tribes.

— Vogue, "25 Ways to Gucci: Shanghai’s Style Remix," 6 July 2018
Hill tribe shamans trekked from nearby villages, sacrificing live animals to a mountain spirit in exchange for the boys’ safety.

— Time, "Grandfather of Trapped Thai Boy Says He’ll ‘Never Let Them Near a Cave Again’," 5 July 2018
In Syria, the AP obtained locations for 17 mass graves, including one with the bodies of hundreds of members of a single tribe all but exterminated when IS extremists took over their region.

— bassem mroue, chicagotribune.com, "Watchdog: Syrian group uncovering Islamic State mass graves needs help," 3 July 2018
After Saturday’s musical performance, the Native Veterans Group of Illinois will present three Eagle Staffs, while a drummer performs a ceremonial flag song native to that veteran’s tribe.

— yadira sanchez olson, Lake County News-Sun, "Gurnee Medal of Honor recipient to join festival honoring veterans at Chicagoland Speedway," 29 June 2018
Poston was constructed on the Colorado River Indian Reservation against the wishes of the Mohave, Hopi and Navajo tribes who lived there.

— ben joravsky, Chicago Reader, "Locking up Cubs legend Yosh Kawano also got Supreme Court OK," 27 June 2018
On the other side is her own Conservative party, split into two feuding tribes, either one of which could topple her from power.

— tim ross, Bloomberg.com, "Theresa May Is Cornered by Brexit Enemies," 18 June 2018
The drought raised tensions between the reservation’s tribes—the Eastern Shoshone and the Northern Arapaho—and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which built and ran the irrigation system that supplied most of the tribal farmers.

— john fialka, Scientific American, "A Wyoming Reservation Shows the New Face of Drought," 6 June 2018
There are 23 tribes in New Mexico, according to the state's Indian Affairs Department, and Native Americans make up a little more than 10% of the total population.

— gregory krieg, CNN, "New Mexico's Deb Haaland likely to be first Native American congresswoman," 6 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tribe.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of tribe

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

tribe Synonyms

Other Anthropology Terms

ectomorph, ethnography, prehistory, yurt

TRIBE Defined for English Language Learners

tribe

noun

Definition of tribe for English Language Learners

: a group of people that includes many families and relatives who have the same language, customs, and beliefs
: a large family
: a group of people who have the same job or interest