1
a
: a Celtic group especially in the Scottish Highlands comprising a number of households whose heads claim descent from a common ancestor
the MacDonald clan
b
: a group of people tracing descent from a common ancestor : family
The whole clan gets together for the holidays.
2
: a group united by a common interest or common characteristics
the country club clan
Examples of clan in a Sentence
The tribe is divided into clans.
The whole clan gets together for the holidays.
Recent Examples on the Web
Going far beyond traditional nip and tuck procedures, the results left commenters marveling at how the matriarch of the Kardashian clan looked younger than her own children.
—
Patrick R. Crowley, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2026
As with most members of the Kennedy clan, Maria Shriver is both proud of her famous family tree and wary of living in its shadow.
—Emma Banks, InStyle, 27 Feb. 2026
The red-brick residence is located in the county of Berkshire, where the entire Middleton clan has settled, and not far from Windsor Castle, where King Charles III and Queen Camilla regularly stay.
—Séraphine Roger, Vanity Fair, 27 Feb. 2026
Salvation takes place in a mountainous region of Turkey where two Kurdish clans have grown up in constant distrust of each other.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for clan
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Patrick R. Crowley, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2026
As with most members of the Kennedy clan, Maria Shriver is both proud of her famous family tree and wary of living in its shadow.
—Emma Banks, InStyle, 27 Feb. 2026
The red-brick residence is located in the county of Berkshire, where the entire Middleton clan has settled, and not far from Windsor Castle, where King Charles III and Queen Camilla regularly stay.
—Séraphine Roger, Vanity Fair, 27 Feb. 2026
Salvation takes place in a mountainous region of Turkey where two Kurdish clans have grown up in constant distrust of each other.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for clan
Cite this Entry
“Clan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clan. Accessed 5 Mar. 2026.
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