Tribe is sometimes used to refer to a group of people of the same race, language, and customs, especially in a developing country. Some people disapprove of this use.
...three-hundred members of the Xhosa tribe.
...a map of Maryland marked with the names of Indian tribes.
Synonyms: race, ethnic group, people, family More Synonyms of tribe
2. countable noun [with singular or plural verb, adjective NOUN]
You can use tribe to refer to a group of people who are all doing the same thing or who all behave in the same way.
[mainly humorous, informal]
...tribes of talented young people. [+ of]
More Synonyms of tribe
tribe in British English
(traɪb)
noun
1.
a social division of a people, esp of a preliterate people, defined in terms of common descent, territory, culture, etc
2. (an ethnic or ancestral division of ancient cultures, esp of one of the following)
a.
any of the three divisions of the ancient Romans, the Latins, Sabines, and Etruscans
b.
one of the later political divisions of the Roman people
c.
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
d.
a phyle of ancient Greece
3. informal, often humorous
a.
a large number of persons, animals, etc
b.
a specific class or group of persons
c.
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
Derived forms
tribeless (ˈtribeless)
adjective
Word origin
C13: from Latin tribus; probably related to Latin trēs three
tribe in American English
(traɪb)
noun
1.
esp. among preliterate peoples, a group of persons, families, or clans believed to be descended from a common ancestor and forming a close community under a leader, or chief
2.
a group of this kind having recognized ancestry
; specif.,
a.
any of the three divisions of the ancient Romans, traditionally of Latin, Sabine,and Etruscan origin
b.
any of the later political and territorial divisions of the ancient Romans
c.
any of the phylae of ancient Greece
d.
any of the twelve divisions of the ancient Israelites
3.
any group of people having the same occupation, habits, ideas, etc.
often in a somewhat derogatory sense
the tribe of drama critics
4.
a taxonomic category that is a subdivision of a subfamily of plants or animals and consists of severalclosely related genera
5.
a natural group of plants or animals classified together without regard for their taxonomic relations
6.
in stock breeding, the animals descended from the same female through the female line
7. Informal
a family, esp. a large one
Word origin
ME trybe < L tribus, one of the three groups into which Romans were orig. divided, tribe < tri- (see tri-) + IE *bhū- < base *bheu-, to grow, flourish > be
Examples of 'tribe' in a sentence
tribe
And it is possible to be a member of more than one tribe.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The problem here is not one of warring tribes, suddenly robbed of a common enemy.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
You're in this tribe of people and to get anyone's attention you better tell a good joke or be entertaining.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
I'm like one of those people from a tribe who feels as though they're having their soul stolen from them by a camera.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
Why not this ancient and eccentric tribe?
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The new elite is divided up into distinct groups and tribes.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
They may learn the history and songs of their tribe or people.
Bee, Helen The Developing Child (7th edn.) (1995)
They are most ferocious when one of their tribe is attacked.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The two tribes race each other to claim food and snorkelling apparatus.
The Sun (2006)
It is entirely based on a hierarchy of races and tribes.
Magnouloux, Bernard Travels with Rosinante (1990)
He said it was safe because the streets had been secured by the army and local tribes.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
At the same time politicians have increasingly been deprived of the automatic support of their tribe or social class.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
There is a good chance that it will play a pivotal role in helping tribes to understand one another.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Another is that our empathy appears to be limited to those we identify as part of our own family or tribe.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
It has long been used by Amazonian tribes and has become popular with tourists in recent years.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
What about the tribes of the American northwest?
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Under the doctrine of multiculturalism, society has fractured into competing tribes and groups.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Rainforest tribes have long used the sap for treating wounds, because of its anti-inflammatory properties.
The Sun (2012)
But the Bible speaks of the shared sin of the people, of their family or tribe or culture.
Christianity Today (2000)
And, like many remote cultures and tribes, it can only be understood by examining its internal logic.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
A long legal dispute over the issue has left the largest Native American tribe without a leader.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
In other languages
tribe
British English: tribe /traɪb/ NOUN
Tribe is sometimes used to refer to a group of people of the same race, language, and customs, especially in a developing country.
...300 members of the same tribe.
American English: tribe
Arabic: قَبِيلَة
Brazilian Portuguese: tribo
Chinese: 部落
Croatian: pleme
Czech: kmen lidí
Danish: stamme personer
Dutch: stam volksstam
European Spanish: tribu
Finnish: heimo
French: tribu
German: Volksstamm
Greek: φυλή
Italian: tribù
Japanese: 部族
Korean: 부족
Norwegian: stamme
Polish: plemię
European Portuguese: tribo
Romanian: trib
Russian: племя
Latin American Spanish: tribu
Swedish: stam
Thai: เผ่า
Turkish: kabile
Ukrainian: плем'я
Vietnamese: bộ tộc
Chinese translation of 'tribe'
tribe
(traɪb)
n(c)
部落 (bùluò) (个(個), gè)
1 (noun)
Definition
a group of families or clans believed to have a common ancestor
three hundred members of the Xhosa tribe
Synonyms
race
We welcome students of all races, faiths and nationalities.
ethnic group
people
family
Her family came to Los Angeles at the turn of the century.
class
the relationship between different social classes
stock
We are both from working-class stock.
house
the Saudi Royal House
division
blood
seed mainly biblical)
a curse on my seed
sept
gens
clan
A clash had taken place between rival clans.
caste
socially disadvantaged lower castes
dynasty
hapu (New Zealand)
iwi (New Zealand)
2 (noun)
Definition
a group of people who do the same type of thing
a tribe of cyclists
Synonyms
crowd
It took some two hours before the crowd was fully dispersed.
company
He was a notable young actor in a company of rising stars.
group
a small group of football supporters
party
a party of explorers
bunch (informal)
The players were a great bunch.
body
The great body of people moved slowly forward.
army
data collected by an army of volunteers
host
A host of stars attended the awards ceremony.
band
bands of government soldiers
pack
a pack of journalists who wanted to interview him
crew (informal)
a motley crew of college friends
load (informal)
drove
Scientists are leaving the country in droves.
gang
He was attacked by a gang of strangers.
mob
a growing mob of demonstrators
flock
his flock of advisors
herd
large herds of elephant and buffalo
horde
A horde of people was screaming for tickets.
posse (informal)
bevy
a bevy of reporters
Additional synonyms
in the sense of army
Definition
a large number of people or animals
data collected by an army of volunteers
Synonyms
vast number,
host,
gang,
mob,
flock,
array,
legion,
swarm,
sea,
pack,
horde,
multitude,
throng,
host (archaic)
in the sense of band
Definition
having legs curved outwards at the knees
bands of government soldiers
Synonyms
gang,
company,
group,
set,
party,
team,
lot,
club,
body,
association,
crowd,
troop,
pack,
camp,
squad,
crew (informal),
assembly,
mob,
horde,
troupe,
posse (informal),
clique,
coterie,
bevy
in the sense of bevy
Definition
a flock
a bevy of reporters
Synonyms
group,
company,
set,
party,
band,
crowd,
troop,
pack,
collection,
gathering,
gang,
bunch (informal),
cluster,
congregation,
clump,
troupe,
posse (slang),
clique,
coterie,
assemblage
Synonyms of 'tribe'
tribe
Explore 'tribe' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of body
The great body of people moved slowly forward.
Synonyms
mass,
company,
press,
army,
host,
crowd,
majority,
assembly,
mob,
herd,
swarm,
horde,
multitude,
throng,
bevy
in the sense of bunch
Definition
a group or company
The players were a great bunch.
Synonyms
group,
band,
crowd,
party,
team,
troop,
gathering,
crew (informal),
gang,
knot,
mob,
flock,
swarm,
multitude,
posse (informal),
bevy
in the sense of caste
Definition
social rank
socially disadvantaged lower castes
Synonyms
class,
order,
race,
station,
rank,
status,
stratum,
social order,
lineage
in the sense of clan
Definition
an extended family related by ancestry or marriage
A clash had taken place between rival clans.
Synonyms
family,
house,
group,
order,
race,
society,
band,
tribe,
sept,
gens,
fraternity (US, Canadian),
brotherhood,
sodality,
ainga (New Zealand),
ngai or ngati (New Zealand)
in the sense of class
Definition
one of the groups into which a phylum is divided, containing one or more orders
the relationship between different social classes
Synonyms
group,
grouping,
set,
order,
league,
division,
rank,
caste,
status,
sphere
in the sense of company
Definition
a number of people gathered together
He was a notable young actor in a company of rising stars.
Synonyms
group,
troupe,
set,
community,
league,
band,
crowd,
camp,
collection,
gathering,
circle,
crew (informal),
assembly,
convention,
ensemble,
throng,
coterie,
bevy,
assemblage,
party,
body
in the sense of crew
Definition
any group of people
a motley crew of college friends
Synonyms
crowd,
set,
lot,
bunch (informal),
band,
troop,
pack,
camp,
gang,
mob,
herd,
swarm,
company,
horde,
posse (informal),
assemblage
in the sense of drove
Definition
a moving crowd of people
Scientists are leaving the country in droves.
Synonyms
herd,
company,
crowds,
collection,
gathering,
mob,
flocks,
swarm,
horde,
multitude,
throng
in the sense of family
Definition
a group descended from a common ancestor
Her family came to Los Angeles at the turn of the century.
Synonyms
ancestors,
forebears,
parentage,
forefathers,
house,
line,
race,
blood,
birth,
strain,
tribe,
sept,
clan,
descent,
dynasty,
pedigree,
extraction,
ancestry,
lineage,
genealogy,
line of descent,
stemma,
stirps
in the sense of flock
Definition
a large number of people
his flock of advisors
Synonyms
crowd,
company,
group,
host,
collection,
mass,
gathering,
assembly,
convoy,
herd,
congregation,
horde,
multitude,
throng,
bevy
Additional synonyms
in the sense of gang
Definition
a group of people who go around together, often to commit crime
He was attacked by a gang of strangers.
Synonyms
group,
crowd,
pack,
company,
party,
lot,
band,
crew (informal),
bunch,
mob,
horde
in the sense of group
Definition
a number of people or things considered as a unit
a small group of football supporters
Synonyms
crowd,
company,
party,
band,
troop,
pack,
gathering,
gang,
bunch (informal),
congregation,
posse (slang),
bevy,
assemblage
in the sense of herd
Definition
a large group of people
large herds of elephant and buffalo
Synonyms
flock,
crowd,
collection,
mass,
drove,
crush,
mob,
swarm,
horde,
multitude,
throng,
assemblage,
press
in the sense of horde
Definition
a very large crowd, often frightening or unpleasant
A horde of people was screaming for tickets.
Synonyms
crowd,
mob,
swarm,
press,
host,
band,
troop,
pack,
crew (informal),
drove,
gang,
multitude,
throng
in the sense of host
Definition
a great number
A host of stars attended the awards ceremony.
Synonyms
crowd,
army,
pack,
drove,
mob,
herd,
legion,
swarm,
horde,
throng
in the sense of house
Definition
a family or dynasty
the Saudi Royal House
Synonyms
dynasty,
line,
race,
tribe,
clan,
ancestry,
lineage,
family tree,
kindred
in the sense of mob
Definition
a riotous or disorderly crowd of people
a growing mob of demonstrators
Synonyms
crowd,
pack,
collection,
mass,
body,
press,
host,
gathering,
drove,
gang,
flock,
herd,
swarm,
horde,
multitude,
throng,
assemblage
in the sense of pack
Definition
any collection of people or things
a pack of journalists who wanted to interview him
Synonyms
group,
crowd,
collection,
company,
set,
lot,
band,
troop,
crew (informal),
drove,
gang,
deck,
bunch (informal),
mob,
flock,
herd,
assemblage
in the sense of party
Definition
a group of people involved in the same activity
a party of explorers
Synonyms
group,
team,
band,
company,
body,
unit,
squad,
gathering,
crew,
gang,
bunch (informal),
dream team,
detachment
in the sense of seed
Definition
descendants
a curse on my seed
Synonyms
offspring,
children,
descendants,
issue,
race,
successors,
heirs,
spawn (derogatory),
brood,
sons and daughters,
progeny (old-fashioned),
scions (archaic)
Additional synonyms
in the sense of stock
Definition
the original type from which a particular race, family, or group is descended