tribune

1 of 2

noun (1)

1
: a Roman official under the monarchy and the republic with the function of protecting the plebeian citizen from arbitrary action by the patrician magistrates
2
: an unofficial defender of the rights of the individual
tribuneship
ˈtri-ˌbyün-ˌship How to pronounce tribune (audio)
tri-ˈbyün-
noun

tribune

2 of 2

noun (2)

: a dais or platform from which an assembly is addressed

Examples of tribune in a Sentence

Noun (2) addressed the vast crowd from the tribune
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Trump may have proved to be a uniquely popular tribune for this constituency. Arthur C. Brooks, Foreign Affairs, 13 Feb. 2017 My question to you on this front is, Donald Trump seems like an unlikely tribune for populism, given his wealth, given his flouting of various kinds of conventions for his own benefit, rather than that of the masses. Foreign Affairs, 29 Dec. 2016 There were plenty of open spots in the media tribune; only two dozen or so reporters stuck around for postgame interviews. Ben Golliver, Washington Post, 30 July 2024 After publishing Hillbilly Elegy, Vance was widely seen as a tribune of the working class. Eric Cortellessa, TIME, 15 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for tribune 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tribune.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Latin tribunus, from tribus tribe

Noun (2)

French, from Italian tribuna, from Latin tribunal

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

circa 1771, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tribune was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near tribune

Cite this Entry

“Tribune.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tribune. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

tribune

noun
tri·​bune
ˈtrib-ˌyün,
trib-ˈyün
1
: a Roman official who protected plebeian citizens from unjust action by patrician magistrates
2
: a defender of the people especially against injustice
tribuneship
-ˌship
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on tribune

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