tribe

noun

ˈtrīb 

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

Synonyms

• 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

On Thursday, the environmental groups and tribe successfully convinced a federal judge in Miami to block any further construction at the site for two weeks while the case moves through the court. —Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 9 Aug. 2025

The hearty creatures, once systemically slaughtered by European settlers to the detriment of Native American tribes, are now grazing their way back from the brink of extinction. —Elizabeth Hernandez, Denver Post, 7 Aug. 2025

The station also broadcasts news advisories from the tribe, powwows, a variety of music shows and more mainstream programming like NPR’s Morning Edition, though Habeck said the station would have to look for a replacement for that broadcast given the recent cuts. —Lawrence Andrea, jsonline.com, 6 Aug. 2025

Photograph: Samuel Corum/Getty Images The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is planning to direct states and tribes to immediately stop certain activities intended to combat domestic violent extremism, according to a draft of an information bulletin obtained by WIRED. —Molly Taft, Wired News, 6 Aug. 2025

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