tribe /traɪb/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1200-1300 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: tribus 'group within the Roman people, tribe' ]
1 . a social group consisting of people of the same ↑ race who have the same beliefs, customs, language etc, and usually live in one particular area ruled by their leader:
a tribe of Aborigines known as the Dolphin People
2 . a group of people with the same interests – used especially to show disapproval:
tribes of journalists
3 . a group of related animals or plants:
the cat tribe
4 . humorous a large family:
We were only expecting Jack and his wife, but the whole tribe turned up.
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THESAURUS
▪ race one of the main groups of people in the world, who have the same colour of skin and other physical features:
Everybody should be treated equally regardless of their race or sex.
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race relations (=the relationship between people of different races)
▪ nation a country and its people, or a group of people with the same history and language:
Japan has become one of the richest nations in the world.
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Our dream is for a united Arab nation.
▪ people the people who belong to a particular country, race, or area. The plural of this meaning of people is peoples :
the American people
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the native peoples of the islands
▪ tribe a group of people in a country who are the same race, with the same traditional way of life and the same leader:
a tribe in Papua New Guinea
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Bedouin tribes
▪ ethnic group a group of people of the same race, nation, or tribe:
Within Namibia there are more than a dozen different ethnic groups.
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the needs of minority ethnic groups