tribe

noun

ˈtrīb 

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

Synonyms

• blood
• clan
• family
• folks
• house
• kin
• kindred
• kinfolk
• kinfolks
• kinsfolk
• line
• lineage
• people
• race
• stock

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

In a historic move to acknowledge and honor the resilience of Indigenous tribes, President Joe Biden on Monday announced the designation of a national monument at a former Native American boarding school in Pennsylvania. —Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024

And yes, Native American tribes use cold immersion for their purification ceremonies, while Nordic nations have been braving alternating cold baths and saunas. —Nicholas Wyman, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024

When the tribes look ahead to the next 20 years, what are the hopes there? —Dana Taylor, USA TODAY, 6 Dec. 2024

Le Pen’s political tribe, riding the crest of their record-setting election results in April, still seem to have their eyes set on 2027, the next presidential election. —Joseph Ataman, CNN, 5 Dec. 2024

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

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