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
As a girl, Smith had fantasized about being from a tribe of nomadic aliens or Native Americans.
—Amy Weiss-Meyer, The Atlantic, 31 Oct. 2025
Finding your tribe within the denizens of cosplayers, when that tribe is a minority group often not expected to engage in the activity, is especially heartwarming.
—Nikki Birch, NPR, 31 Oct. 2025
For instance, our extended tribe owned solar power firms, and donated thousands of panels every year to poor communities with scarce utilities.
—Natalia Paradies, Rolling Stone, 31 Oct. 2025
Sage could have stopped there and given Shannon her consolation hug after winning the day by turning the tribe vote against her.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tribe
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Amy Weiss-Meyer, The Atlantic, 31 Oct. 2025
Finding your tribe within the denizens of cosplayers, when that tribe is a minority group often not expected to engage in the activity, is especially heartwarming.
—Nikki Birch, NPR, 31 Oct. 2025
For instance, our extended tribe owned solar power firms, and donated thousands of panels every year to poor communities with scarce utilities.
—Natalia Paradies, Rolling Stone, 31 Oct. 2025
Sage could have stopped there and given Shannon her consolation hug after winning the day by turning the tribe vote against her.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tribe
Cite this Entry
“Tribe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tribe. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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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