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cling

1
[ kling ]
/ klÉȘƋ /
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See synonyms for: cling / clinging / clung on Thesaurus.com
verb (used without object), clung [kluhng], /klÊŒĆ‹/, 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

1
First 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, adjective

Words nearby cling

clincher, clincher-built, clincher tire, clindamycin, cline, cling, clingfilm, clingfish, clinging vine, Clingmans Dome, cling peach

Other definitions for cling (2 of 2)

cling2
[ kling ]
/ klÉȘƋ /
noun
a clingstone.

Origin of cling

2
1835–45; by shortening from clingstone, or special use of cling1 (noun)
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

Words related to cling

adhere, clasp, fasten, cherish, clutch, cohere, continue, embrace, endure, grasp, grip, hug, last, linger, squeeze, stick, cleave to, hang in, stay put

How to use cling in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for cling

cling
/ (klÉȘƋ) /
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 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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