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
And other than strategic additions that have been added over the years to complicate gameplay, the structure has stayed largely the same for 49 seasons—16-20 strangers, assembled into warring tribes, are marooned on an island, competing for a million-dollar prize.
—Literary Hub, 5 Dec. 2025
For Chu, assembling this tribe has been the realization of a childhood dream.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 5 Dec. 2025
December's full moon is known as the Cold Moon, and gets its name from the Mohawk tribe, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac.
—Julia Gomez, USA Today, 5 Dec. 2025
That meant, for James, incorporating pieces of American history, such as Native American tribes like the Miccosukee, whose tribal land and reservation is close to Alligator Alcatraz.
—Miami Herald, 4 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tribe
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Literary Hub, 5 Dec. 2025
For Chu, assembling this tribe has been the realization of a childhood dream.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 5 Dec. 2025
December's full moon is known as the Cold Moon, and gets its name from the Mohawk tribe, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac.
—Julia Gomez, USA Today, 5 Dec. 2025
That meant, for James, incorporating pieces of American history, such as Native American tribes like the Miccosukee, whose tribal land and reservation is close to Alligator Alcatraz.
—Miami Herald, 4 Dec. 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 9 Dec. 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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