tribe

noun

ˈtrīb 

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 tribes

members 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

… my tribe of mom friends …

—Jo Piazza

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 of tribe

• 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

Through compacts with the state, tribes can also sell products off reservations, too. —Frankie McLister, CBS News, 12 Apr. 2026

About 15 requests for assistance from others states and tribes for extreme weather events this year and last seem to be pending, along with three appeals of previous denials. —Gabriela Aoun Angueira, Fortune, 11 Apr. 2026

The graves date to the Gallic period in France, a time when Celtic tribes known as the Gauls lived in the region. —Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 11 Apr. 2026

Consider what has befallen them in the 11 centuries since Hungarian tribes moved into the Carpathian Basin, in 896. —Isaac Stanley-Becker, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2026

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