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
Although some Indigenous tribes in the rainforests were said to have used batrachotoxin from dart frogs for hunting, scientist haven't found any evidence that epibatidine was ever used for that purpose.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 15 Feb. 2026
The Hopi tribe is one of the oldest living cultures ever documented and lived in northeastern Arizona.
—Paige Moore, AZCentral.com, 13 Feb. 2026
Take the 12 days of Christmas, 12 months of the year, 12 zodiac signs, 12 labors of Hercules, 12 gods of Olympus, and 12 tribes of Israel, for example.
—Bailey Allen, Cape Cod Times, 13 Feb. 2026
Robinson is a Native American whose religious beliefs arise out of the traditions of the Narragansett tribe, the lawsuit says.
—Katie Mulvaney, The Providence Journal, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tribe
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Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 15 Feb. 2026
The Hopi tribe is one of the oldest living cultures ever documented and lived in northeastern Arizona.
—Paige Moore, AZCentral.com, 13 Feb. 2026
Take the 12 days of Christmas, 12 months of the year, 12 zodiac signs, 12 labors of Hercules, 12 gods of Olympus, and 12 tribes of Israel, for example.
—Bailey Allen, Cape Cod Times, 13 Feb. 2026
Robinson is a Native American whose religious beliefs arise out of the traditions of the Narragansett tribe, the lawsuit says.
—Katie Mulvaney, The Providence Journal, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tribe
Cite this Entry
“Tribe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tribe. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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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