tribe

American  

[trahyb] / traɪb /

noun

• tribes
  plural

1. any group of people, typically a subdivision of a nation or an ethnic group, that is united by ties of descent from a common ancestor, shared customs and traditions, recognition of the same leader or leaders, etc.; a group of related clans.

   The twelve tribes of Israel were descended from the twelve sons of Jacob.

2. Sometimes Offensive. a group of Indigenous people sharing the same ethnicity, language, territory, customs, history, etc.: now often referred to as a nation.

3. a division of any of the premodern peoples of Europe or Asia.

   After the Romans left the Low Countries in the 5th century, Frankish tribes dominated.

   In 1206 Genghis Khan united all the Mongol tribes to form the great Mongol nation.

4. a company, group, or number of people.

   Every afternoon a noisy tribe of children—friends of my brother and me—would gather in our yard.

5. a group or class of people with strong common traits, values, or interests.

   We in the tribe of journalists tend to be cynical about such conferences—they’re mainly about platitudes and photo ops.

6. a large family.

   Don't invite your brother and his tribe to sleep over—I don't know where we'd put all those kids!

7. a category or type of living things or inanimate objects.

   Next to the robin, the sparrow is the boldest of our feathered tribe.

   Over there is a tribe of mismatched stuffed chairs.

8. Biology.

   1. a category in the classification of organisms usually between a subfamily and a genus or sometimes between a suborder and a family.

   2. any group of closely related plants or animals.

9. Animal Husbandry. a group of animals, especially cattle, descended through the female line from a common female ancestor.

10. Roman History.

    1. any one of three divisions of the people representing the Latin, Sabine, and Etruscan settlements.

    2. any of the later political divisions of the people.

11. Greek History. a phyle.

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tribe British  

/ traɪb /

noun

1. a social division of a people, esp of a preliterate people, defined in terms of common descent, territory, culture, etc

2. 1. any of the three divisions of the ancient Romans, the Latins, Sabines, and Etruscans

   2. one of the later political divisions of the Roman people

   3. any of the 12 divisions of ancient Israel, each of which was named after and believed to be descended from one of the 12 patriarchs

   4. a phyle of ancient Greece

3. informal

   1. a large number of persons, animals, etc

   2. a specific class or group of persons

   3. a family, esp a large one

4. biology a taxonomic group that is a subdivision of a subfamily

5. stockbreeding a strain of animals descended from a common female ancestor through the female line

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Usage

It was formerly common to refer to the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Africa, and elsewhere as tribes: the Yoruba tribe, the Mohawk tribe, tribes of the Amazon jungle. This often reflected an ethnocentric perception among colonizing European nations that such peoples were mere kin groups too small in number, and too backward or primitive in terms of social and political organization and other cultural development, to be “nations.” The word tribe is also used to refer historically to the premodern Indigenous peoples of Eurasia, regarded as uncivilized barbarians by the Romans. Because of these unwanted connotations and associations, many Indigenous peoples of today reject the term tribe and prefer to be known as nations, reflecting the same social and political status, cultural complexity and sophistication, etc., as any other nation. Since nationhood typically connotes connection with a territory, the word nation also serves as a reminder that Indigenous peoples have largely been dispossessed of theirs. In some cases, however, the word tribe is still appropriate. For example, where a large Indigenous nation is spread over a wide area, different linguistic or cultural divisions or different geographic communities within that nation might refer to themselves as tribes: Louis Bull Tribe is part of the Cree nation, the largest First Nations group in Canada. This is especially true if the subgroup has its own political leadership and a legal relationship with the government, although in Canada such a local community is more often called a band. In the United States, an Indigenous group that has such a relationship with the federal or state government may be called a tribe regardless of whether it corresponds to a single ethnic group or a division of one, and band can refer to any of various kinds of subgroups. It is best to find out what term is used by the particular group to refer to itself. When speaking more generally of Indigenous groups, the word people ( peoples for multiple groups) is appropriate: the Indigenous peoples of the plains.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• subtribe
  noun
• undertribe
  noun
• tribeless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• tribes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of tribe

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English, from Old French tribu, from Latin tribus “tribe,” originally referring to any of the three divisions of the Roman people; perhaps from Etruscan; perhaps a derivative of trēs (masculine and feminine), tria (neuter) “three” (combining form tri-) + -bus, a suffix of unclear formation; see also three

Explanation

A tribe is a traditional social group of people. Most tribes have existed much longer than existing states and countries. Tribes follow rules and traditions that aren't connected to modern-day governments or mainstream societies. Indigenous people of North America lived (and many continue to live) in tribes, although the word itself is controversial — many of their members prefer the terms nation or ethnic group instead. Sometimes tribe is used to simply mean "family" or "clan," or even a large group: "A tribe of college students roamed the streets."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tribe tribes

Tayaba’s tribe has opposed the Newsom administration’s push to build the Delta Conveyance Project, a 45-mile tunnel that would transport water beneath the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

The product is the tribe; the order is the performance; the smoothie shop is a clubhouse.

From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2026

It has felt like being a "nomadic tribe moving from one place to another", Uttam added, as they stayed with friends at first then relocated to a local hotel.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

Zooid’s Mr. Davila, an original member of that ensemble, told me Mr. Threadgill’s music has established an ever-expanding, modern-day tribe.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

The men in the Cinta Larga tribe didn’t have whiskers; their faces were naturally bare and hairless.

From "Death on the River of Doubt" by Samantha Seiple

Karuk Tribe Chairman Russell “Buster” Attebery said tribes “need to be at the table when decisions are being made,” and the bill was an important step toward changing that.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

The story is that in this period Scandinavia became distinct unified Christian kingdoms from a series of disparate and decentralized pagan tribes.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 23, 2026

Through works spanning two centuries and more than 60 tribes and nations, the exhibition shows how these often marginalized groups represented, celebrated and advocated for themselves.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026

"There are different tribes of people in every age group, but when you get older, people start clumping you together with other stereotypes," she says.

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026

Up until the early nineteenth century, Cherokee tribes occasionally hunted in the area, but found the terrain otherwise too rugged and uninviting.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam

Related Words

• association
• caste
• clan
• people
• society