cling
1[ kling ]
/ klɪŋ /
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verb (used without object), clung [kluhng], /klʌŋ/, cling·ing.
to 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.
noun
the act of clinging; adherence; attachment.
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Origin of cling
1First recorded before 900; Middle English clingen, Old English clingan “to stick together, shrink, wither”; akin to clench
OTHER WORDS FROM cling
clinger, nouncling·ing·ly, adverbcling·ing·ness, nounun·cling·ing, adjectiveWords nearby cling
Definition for cling (2 of 2)
Origin of cling
21835–45; by shortening from clingstone, or special use of cling1 (noun)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for cling
British Dictionary definitions for cling
cling
/ (klɪŋ) /
verb clings, clinging or clung (intr)
(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 closeto cling to outmoded beliefs
noun
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
Derived forms of cling
Word Origin for cling
Old English clingan; related to clench
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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