tribe

noun

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

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
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.
The Dutch parliament has historically always required coalition-building between parties due to the lack of an absolute majority from any one political tribe. Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 1 Sep. 2025 However, the biggest difference for brands is that identifying and connecting with tribes at scale is challenging in the era of algorithms. Kian Bakhtiari, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025 Nourished by Time, though, is channelling a loftier, spiritual reading—the passionate ones are a tribe, the artists perforce. Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2025 The film takes its name from a story that Manfred relied on as a means of coping with childhood bullies, about a tribe of vikings who each cut off one of their arms in order to make one brother who lost his arm in battle feel less alone. Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 30 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for tribe

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of tribe was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tribe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tribe. Accessed 5 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

tribe

noun
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
: a category of taxonomic classification sometimes equivalent to or ranking just below a suborder but more commonly ranking below a subfamily

More from Merriam-Webster on tribe

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!