1
as in clique
a group of people sharing a common interest and relating together socially
that clan of football fans has parties every weekend on which the New England Patriots play
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in family
a group of persons who come from the same ancestor
the whole clan gets together only for holidays
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of clan
Going far beyond traditional nip and tuck procedures, the results left commenters marveling at how the matriarch of the Kardashian clan looked younger than her own children.
—
Patrick R. Crowley, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2026
As with most members of the Kennedy clan, Maria Shriver is both proud of her famous family tree and wary of living in its shadow.
—Emma Banks, InStyle, 27 Feb. 2026
With their ammunition gathered, the whole Bridgerton clan, minus Fran but plus Sophie, heads to the queen’s ball.
—Christina Grace Tucker, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2026
The Grand Jury Prize went to Emin Alper’s Salvation, a drama that charts the escalation of violence in an isolated village community in the Turkish mountains following the return of an exiled clan.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 21 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for clan
Patrick R. Crowley, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2026
As with most members of the Kennedy clan, Maria Shriver is both proud of her famous family tree and wary of living in its shadow.
—Emma Banks, InStyle, 27 Feb. 2026
With their ammunition gathered, the whole Bridgerton clan, minus Fran but plus Sophie, heads to the queen’s ball.
—Christina Grace Tucker, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2026
The Grand Jury Prize went to Emin Alper’s Salvation, a drama that charts the escalation of violence in an isolated village community in the Turkish mountains following the return of an exiled clan.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 21 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for clan
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clan
Noun
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In the post-colonial era, Arab dictators established secular laws, but these legal systems favored the ruling clique.—
Anand Gopal,
New Yorker,
28 Feb. 2026
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Their parties became notorious even in my own cliques; my parents knew to expect at least a few dozen teenagers crashing their party, sucking down all the noodles, and sneaking beers in the canyon down below.—
Natasha Pickowicz,
Vogue,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Advice columnist Carolyn Hax takes your comments and questions most Fridays about life, family, relationships and more.—
Carolyn Hax,
Washington Post,
27 Mar. 2026
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The family of Lisa Lopez-Galvan, who was shot and killed in the mass shooting that erupted at the Chiefs’ Super Bowl rally in February 2024, left the Jackson County courthouse in tears on Monday afternoon.—
Laura Bauer,
Kansas City Star,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Beginning on the evening of March 2, Jewish communities around the world observed the holiday of Purim.—
Michael M. Rosen,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Mar. 2026
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Word of Stanton’s comments spread through an outraged suffrage community.—
Moira Donegan,
New Yorker,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
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There are all these different tribes that live in the city.—
Lale Arikoglu,
Condé Nast Traveler,
8 Mar. 2026
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Prosecutors say that Mannion, who worked as an IRS contact representative in Andover from 1998 to 2009, used her membership in the Mi’kmaq Nation Native American tribe to solicit other tribe members to hire her for tax preparation services.—
Flint McColgan,
Boston Herald,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The game was played in front of a sellout crowd of 41,628 that was decidedly pro-Mexico.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
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For outdoor adventures, the Ulistac Natural Area and Guadalupe River Trail offer opportunities for walks, birdwatching, and biking that provide welcome breaks from stadium crowds.—
Allison Palmer,
Sacbee.com,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
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There’s also something nostalgic about it; the timer reminds me of baking at my grandparents’ house.—
Francesca Krempa,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
10 Mar. 2026
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His second outing for the house, however, which took place on Sunday, felt more measured, shifting the focus toward tailoring while still playing with sculptural silhouettes.—
Maliha Shoaib,
Vogue,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
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By improving detection capabilities against drone swarms, the technology could strengthen air-defense networks and reduce vulnerabilities created by rapidly evolving drone warfare tactics.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Mar. 2026
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Over the course of his lengthy career, Anastos spent time on-air with several different flagship New York television networks, starting with ABC 7 in 1978.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Greig collected a pass from Shane Pinto at the bottom of the faceoff circle, moved the puck to his forehand and fired a shot past Lankinen midway through the second.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 Mar. 2026
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Because of her Colombian heritage, Zegler faced aggressive pushback from conservative circles, who thought the title role of Snow White should be played by a white woman.—
Jack Dunn,
Variety,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clan. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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