Klan

noun

plural Klans
often attributive
: ku klux klan
also : a subordinate unit of the Ku Klux Klan
Klanism noun
Klansman noun

Examples of Klan in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
In actuality, the second incarnation of the Klan remained influential, but Klan denial was a common propaganda strategy. Adam Serwer, The Atlantic, 2 May 2025 In the first of thirteen live, three-hour shows (with Nelle sitting in the studio audience), the thirty-five-year-old Reagan, accompanied by four Black actors, dramatically reenacted Klan cross-burnings, beatings and shootings, and the desecration of synagogues. Richard D. Mahoney, JSTOR Daily, 30 Apr. 2025 Smoke sends Sammie home, choosing to stay on his property and fight a violent invasion from the Klan, ultimately finding peace in death. Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025 With Jim Crow, an imperfect church, economic despair, and the Klan looming, the film underlines again and again the essentiality of love—not as an antidote, but as an alternative, an entirely separate mode of experiencing the world. Paul A. Thompson, Pitchfork, 22 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for Klan

Word History

Etymology

(Ku Klux) Klan

First Known Use

1867, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Klan was in 1867

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Klan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Klan. Accessed 16 May. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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