cling

¹ American  

[kling] / klɪŋ /

verb (used without object)

clung, clinging

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.

   Synonyms:

   hug, grab, clutch

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.

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noun

1. the act of clinging; adherence; attachment.

cling ² American  

[kling] / klɪŋ /

noun

1. a clingstone.

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cling British  

/ klɪŋ /

verb

1. (often foll by to) to hold fast or adhere closely (to something), as by gripping or sticking

2. (foll by together) to remain in contact (with each other)

3. to be or remain physically or emotionally close

   to cling to outmoded beliefs

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noun

1. agriculture the tendency of cotton fibres in a sample to stick to each other

2. obsolete agriculture diarrhoea or scouring in animals

3. short for clingstone

Other Word Forms

• clinger
  noun
• clinginess
  noun
• clinging
  adjective
• clingingly
  adverb
• clingingness
  noun
• clingy
  adjective
• unclinging
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of cling¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English clingen, Old English clingan “to stick together, shrink, wither”; akin to clench

Origin of cling²

1835–45; by shortening from clingstone, or special use of cling ¹ (noun)

Explanation

To cling is to tightly grasp something or to stick closely to something, like how wet clothes cling to the wearer. Clinging has to do with closeness. A scared child will cling to his parent, holding on tight. People in love cling to one another in embraces. When you're on a roller coaster, it's best to cling to whatever restraint you can. Similarly, things cling to each other when they're hard to separate. Clothes fresh out of the dryer often cling to each other. Strands of cooked spaghetti cling to each other. Stretchy clothing like spandex clings to the bodies of the people who wear it.

Example Sentences

Marriott gave his recyclable hero a nemesis named the Cling Film Kid, made of single-use plastics.

From Washington Post • Aug. 20, 2021

This variety became what’s called Chinese Cling, and with its stateside debut, commercial peach production in the South began.

From Slate • Jan. 5, 2021

An investor relations impulse may have informed “Late George Cling Peaches,” a circa 1888-89 Kern County image of two dozen fruit packed in neat rows in a wooden shipping box.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 26, 2018

“Mountain biking has become so popular out there that the county realized this isn’t a good fit with their timber program,” said Josh Cling, Western Rivers Conservancy’s assistant program director.

From Washington Times • Apr. 3, 2016

Cling to me, always cling to me—with love!

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

Related Words

• adhere
• clasp
• fasten