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
That includes a 2004 law requiring local governments to consult with tribes on changes to their general plan or specific project plans.
—Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Apr. 2026
Now, tribe officials say the state is ending its support, potentially causing salmon restoration efforts on the McCloud River to die midstream.
—Rachel Becker, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2026
Culin also consulted with other scholars and collectors to produce his final report 14 years later, which includes over 1,100 illustrations and descriptions of 239 sets of dice from 130 different tribes.
—ArsTechnica, 3 Apr. 2026
Genevieve ended up with three people from the original Cila tribe in Rick, Christian, and Joe, and the one person from her original Vatu tribe was her enemy in the game (and ally of Rick and Christian), Aubry.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tribe
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Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Apr. 2026
Now, tribe officials say the state is ending its support, potentially causing salmon restoration efforts on the McCloud River to die midstream.
—Rachel Becker, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2026
Culin also consulted with other scholars and collectors to produce his final report 14 years later, which includes over 1,100 illustrations and descriptions of 239 sets of dice from 130 different tribes.
—ArsTechnica, 3 Apr. 2026
Genevieve ended up with three people from the original Cila tribe in Rick, Christian, and Joe, and the one person from her original Vatu tribe was her enemy in the game (and ally of Rick and Christian), Aubry.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Apr. 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 5 Apr. 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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