cling
Use Cling in a sentence
verb (used without object)
1.
to adhere closely; stick to: The wet paper clings to the glass.
2.
to hold tight, as by grasping or embracing; cleave: The children clung to each other in the dark.
3.
to be or remain close: The child clung to her mother's side.
4.
to remain attached, as to an idea, hope, memory, etc.: Despite the predictions, the candidate clung to the belief that he would be elected.
5.
to cohere.
noun
6.
the act of clinging; adherence; attachment.
00:10
Cling
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is subtilize. Does it mean:
| to spend time idly; loaf. |
| to introduce subtleties into or argue subtly about. |
Origin:
before 900; Middle English clingen, Old English clingan to stick together, shrink, wither; akin to clench
before 900; Middle English clingen, Old English clingan to stick together, shrink, wither; akin to clench
Related forms
cling·er, noun
cling·ing·ly, adverb
cling·ing·ness, noun
un·cling·ing, adjective
Synonyms
2. clutch, grab, hug.
2. clutch, grab, hug.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
noun
a clingstone.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To cling
Collins
World English Dictionary
cling (klɪŋ) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb , clings, clinging, clung | |
| 1. | ( |
| 2. | ( |
| 3. | to be or remain physically or emotionally close: to cling to outmoded beliefs |
| —n | |
| 4. | chiefly (US) agriculture the tendency of cotton fibres in a sample to stick to each other |
| 5. | obsolete agriculture diarrhoea or scouring in animals |
| 6. | short for clingstone |
| [Old English clingan; related to | |
| 'clinging | |
| —adj | |
| 'clinger | |
| —n | |
| 'clingingly | |
| —adv | |
| 'clingy | |
| —adj | |
| 'clinginess | |
| —n | |
| 'clingingness | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
cling
O.E. clingan "hold fast, congeal, shrivel," shifting 13c. to "adhere, stick together," from P.Gmc. *klingg-.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
Example sentences
Beads of dew cling to the florets that spiral inside a sunflower head.
Others allow them to cling to walls and run up the length of pillars.
At a simple level, it is becoming harder over time for an autocrat to cling to power for long periods of time.
They developed special toes that let them cling to wet leaves and scurry up slippery vines.
Nearby Words
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
