lost tribes

American

noun

(in the Bible) the members of the ten tribes of ancient Israel who were taken into captivity in 722 b.c. by Sargon II of Assyria and are believed never to have returned to ancient Palestine.

lost tribes British

plural noun

Old Testament the ten tribes deported from the N kingdom of Israel in 721 _bc and believed never to have returned to Palestine

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Many Igbos believe they have Jewish heritage as one of the so-called 10 lost tribes of Israel, though most are not practising Jews like Mr Yaakov.

From BBC • Oct. 17, 2021

People at the time thought there might be dinosaurs or lost tribes down there.

From National Geographic • Jan. 13, 2018

Introducing himself as one from the lost tribes who had emigrated to South America 600 years before Christ, Moroni told Joe the location of a set of golden plates in a cave near Palmyra.

From Time Magazine Archive

With trumpeters on the hilltop and incidental music from Wagner and Victor Herbert, the pageant then unfolded the Book of Mormon's story of the lost tribes of Israel.

From Time Magazine Archive

The so-called "lost tribes" are united with the house of Judah.

From The Prophet Ezekiel An Analytical Exposition by Gaebelein, Arno C.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023