1
a
: a Celtic group especially in the Scottish Highlands comprising a number of households whose heads claim descent from a common ancestor
the MacDonald clan
b
: a group of people tracing descent from a common ancestor : family
The whole clan gets together for the holidays.
2
: a group united by a common interest or common characteristics
the country club clan
Examples of clan in a Sentence
The tribe is divided into clans.
The whole clan gets together for the holidays.
Recent Examples on the Web
And there are a slew of new candidates for the blood cannon in Ready or Not 2, whose baddies are a more wide-ranging lot than the Le Domases, the game-company-owning clan that Grace (Samara Weaving) is unfortunate enough to marry into in the original Ready or Not.
—
Alison Willmore, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026
As the former star of Footloose explained when the whole clan stopped by the Rolling Stone Studio at the Austin fest, Family Movie revolves around a filmmaker best known for making fast, cheap, and out-of-control horror movies — think Roger Corman with a serious micro-budget.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 20 Mar. 2026
The one teasing bit of historical intrigue comes when Le Bail’s lawyer (Elijah Wood) insists that the rules state each clan must attack Grace and Faith using weapons from the era in which their ancestors made their satanic pact.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2026
Starring the filmmaking family as a filmmaking family who are making a film together when a dead body turns up, the cheekily meta horror-comedy benefits hugely from the audience’s preexisting goodwill toward this clan.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 17 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for clan
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Alison Willmore, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026
As the former star of Footloose explained when the whole clan stopped by the Rolling Stone Studio at the Austin fest, Family Movie revolves around a filmmaker best known for making fast, cheap, and out-of-control horror movies — think Roger Corman with a serious micro-budget.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 20 Mar. 2026
The one teasing bit of historical intrigue comes when Le Bail’s lawyer (Elijah Wood) insists that the rules state each clan must attack Grace and Faith using weapons from the era in which their ancestors made their satanic pact.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2026
Starring the filmmaking family as a filmmaking family who are making a film together when a dead body turns up, the cheekily meta horror-comedy benefits hugely from the audience’s preexisting goodwill toward this clan.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 17 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for clan
Cite this Entry
“Clan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clan. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.
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