tribe

TRYB/tɹaɪb/

11 meanings of tribe

1
nouncountable
A group of families and clans who share the same language, customs, and ancestors.
Like a large family group whose members all share the same language and customs.
Each tribe had its own language and customs.
The two tribes shared one river valley.
Similarpeople, clan
Note
2
nouncountable
A group of people who feel close because they share the same interests or beliefs.
Like a club where everyone feels they truly belong.
She finally found her tribe at the local art club.
Online gamers often form tight tribes around their favorite games.
Similarcommunity, clan, family
Note
3
nouncountable
A whole nation or people that is organized as a single tribe.
Like a whole country that thinks of itself as one large family.
The treaty was signed by the leaders of each tribe.
Several tribes were forced from their ancestral lands.
Similarnation, people
Note
4
nouncountable
A set of things that all belong together in the same kind of group.
Like putting all the same kind of toys into one box.
He kept a whole tribe of old radios in his garage.
Scooters, bikes, and skateboards make up a tribe of human-powered machines.
Similarclass, family, group, category
5
nounderogatorycolloquialcountable
An offensive word for a people thought of as primitive or uncivilized.
The explorer's journal dismissed the islanders as a backward tribe.
Colonial officials spoke of the region's tribes as if they had no real culture.
Note
6
nouncountable
A group used by scientists to sort living things, ranked between family and genus.
Like a shelf that sits between a bigger one and a smaller one.
Scientists placed the new species in a tribe with its closest relatives.
Several tribes make up this family of beetles.
Note
7
nouncountable
A group of animals that all come from one female ancestor through their mothers.
Like a family tree that only follows the mothers.
Every cow in this tribe goes back to one prized mother.
The farm's best milkers all came from the same tribe.
Similarfamily, line, lineage, bloodline
Note
8
nouncountable
A group name for certain animals, such as goats or seabirds.
Like saying 'a flock of birds,' but for animals like goats.
A tribe of goats wandered down the lane.
The sailors spotted a tribe of seabirds nesting on the cliffs.
Similarherd, troop, flock
9
nouncountable
A group of apes that live and do things together.
Like a group of friends who stay together and help each other.
The whole tribe of chimps moved off to find food.
A tribe of gorillas rested quietly in the clearing.
Similartroop, band, group
Note
10
nouncountable
A group of people who parade together as Mardi Gras Indians in New Orleans.
Her uncle leads a tribe that parades every Mardi Gras.
Two tribes met on the corner to show off their suits.
11
verbtransitive
To sort people or things into separate groups or classes.
Like putting your toys into different boxes by type.
Scientists tribe the new specimens by their shape and size.
The librarian tribed the books into separate sections.
Similarclassify, categorize, group, sort
Note

Practice

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Origin

This word came from Latin "tribus." It reached English through Old French "tribu" and Middle English "tribe."