cling
1to adhere closely; stick to: The wet paper clings to the glass.
to hold tight, as by grasping or embracing; cleave: The children clung to each other in the dark.
to be or remain close: The child clung to her mother's side.
to remain attached, as to an idea, hope, memory, etc.: Despite the predictions, the candidate clung to the belief that he would be elected.
to cohere.
the act of clinging; adherence; attachment.
Origin of cling
1Other words for cling
Other words from cling
- clinger, noun
- cling·ing·ly, adverb
- cling·ing·ness, noun
- un·cling·ing, adjective
Other definitions for cling (2 of 2)
a clingstone.
Origin of cling
2Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use cling in a sentence
To belittle her as a thumper/clinger is to diminish many hardworking folks in the heart of the nation.
Sarah Palin's Calling the Shots for the 2012 GOP Field | Mark McKinnon | May 27, 2011 | THE DAILY BEASTAround its neck was a pea clinger, which formed a perfect noose.
She was a Clinger, who would curl around the nearest support like a morning glory vine.
The Campfire Girls Go Motoring | Hildegard G. FreyThey once were the coats or outside garment of a swimmer or a clinger of the sea.
Lord Dolphin | Harriet A. Cheever
British Dictionary definitions for cling
/ (klɪŋ) /
(often foll by to) to hold fast or adhere closely (to something), as by gripping or sticking
(foll by together) to remain in contact (with each other)
to be or remain physically or emotionally close: to cling to outmoded beliefs
agriculture, mainly US the tendency of cotton fibres in a sample to stick to each other
agriculture obsolete diarrhoea or scouring in animals
short for clingstone
Origin of cling
1Derived forms of cling
- clinging, adjective
- clinger, noun
- clingingly, adverb
- clingy, adjective
- clinginess or clingingness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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