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
Co-owned by the scion of an old-Newport clan, the hotel takes its design inspiration from a family mansion whose grounds served as a setting for one of those spectacular garden parties in HBOs The Gilded Age.
—
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 May 2026
The Hallmark Channel series is traveling back to 1920s Port Haven during its upcoming fourth and final season, as mysteries are unearthed and lingering questions about the past find a way to haunt the present-day Landry clan.
—Alex Gurley, PEOPLE, 3 May 2026
Thus the god of the clan, the totemic principle, can be none other than the clan itself, but the clan transfigured and imagined.
—Glenn Adamson, Artforum, 2 May 2026
And the Serio clan stayed open into the wee hours to feed them.
—Donna Vickroy, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for clan
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.
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 May 2026
The Hallmark Channel series is traveling back to 1920s Port Haven during its upcoming fourth and final season, as mysteries are unearthed and lingering questions about the past find a way to haunt the present-day Landry clan.
—Alex Gurley, PEOPLE, 3 May 2026
Thus the god of the clan, the totemic principle, can be none other than the clan itself, but the clan transfigured and imagined.
—Glenn Adamson, Artforum, 2 May 2026
And the Serio clan stayed open into the wee hours to feed them.
—Donna Vickroy, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 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 8 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
