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
Scott MacArthur As Ness Gordon Best known for: The Righteous Gemstones, No Hard Feelings
Scott MacArthur appears as Ness Gordon, another member of the Gordon clan who is the general manager of the Waves.
—
Monica Mercuri, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025
Kieran and Macaulay played cousins in both Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, which centers on the rambunctious, extended McCallister family clan who repeatedly accidentally leave their young child behind.
—Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 24 Feb. 2025
The Marriott hotel clan, now Marriott International based in Bethesda, Maryland, eyed the once-rural property between Routes 21 and 22, and the Des Plaines River in the late 1960s.
—Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 24 Feb. 2025
The most straightforward rationale is that of the Ratliff clan, a Southern family of five with only one functioning moral compass among them.
—Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clan
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Monica Mercuri, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025
Kieran and Macaulay played cousins in both Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, which centers on the rambunctious, extended McCallister family clan who repeatedly accidentally leave their young child behind.
—Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 24 Feb. 2025
The Marriott hotel clan, now Marriott International based in Bethesda, Maryland, eyed the once-rural property between Routes 21 and 22, and the Des Plaines River in the late 1960s.
—Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 24 Feb. 2025
The most straightforward rationale is that of the Ratliff clan, a Southern family of five with only one functioning moral compass among them.
—Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clan
Cite this Entry
“Clan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clan. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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