as in families
a group of persons who come from the same ancestor
the wedding joined the two tribes together
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tribes
The Colorado River provides water for cities from Denver to San Diego, 30 Native tribes and farming communities from the Rocky Mountains to northern Mexico.
—
Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2026
In the morning, tribes of howler monkeys were whooping, several miles off.
—Stanley Stewart, Travel + Leisure, 10 Jan. 2026
But a landmark land claims settlement in 1980 exempted Maine from federal Indian gaming laws, which has prevented the tribes from opening casinos on their lands.
—Center Square, The Washington Examiner, 9 Jan. 2026
Since 2020, the states of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, as well as a handful of local tribes, have trapped and euthanized more than 200 sea lions in and around the Columbia River—and have still fallen short of the limits allowed by federal law.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 2026
By providing only air cover for the rebels, our intervention left the situation on the ground to the local competing forces, tribes and militias, which were divided then and remain divided to this day.
—Thomas L. Friedman, Mercury News, 6 Jan. 2026
The fish are cooperatively managed by the state and the tribes in the 1836 Treaty territory.
—Tanya Wildt, Freep.com, 5 Jan. 2026
Native American tribes also referred to this moon as the Freeze Up Moon, Hard Moon, or Center Moon, marking the deep winter season.
—Alexis Simmerman, Austin American Statesman, 2 Jan. 2026
Connecting roots with Bantu tribes, the Digo community continues to protect forests lovingly referred to as ‘kayas’—meaning home.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tribes
Noun
-
Join me in praying for the victims of such senseless violence and all the families of this church.—
-
Over the past year, families told the Statesman that their school districts have failed to identify and evaluate their children for special education and follow the programs to educate them fairly.—
Noun
-
For example, Crow people have held onto their nation's language; neighbors are often family, or considered such; and many tribal members rely on their clans to mentor children, who eventually become mentors themselves for the next generation.—
-
But when Klaus’ toys begin to cheer up the children of Smeerensburg — a town whose inhabitants are perpetually engaged in a feud between two familial clans — Jesper and Klaus must step out of their comfort zones to help save the town from itself.—
Noun
-
DiDonato has appeared on catwalks for major fashion houses and has featured in publications such as Vogue, Elle and Harper’s Bazaar.—
-
Events across the region are taking place all day at schools, local businesses, houses of worship and burned down local landmarks in various stages of rebuilding.—
Cite this Entry
“Tribes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tribes. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share