cling
1 Americanverb (used without object)
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clings,
present (3rd person singular)
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clung,
past participle, past
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clinging
present participle
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to adhere closely; stick to.
The wet paper clings to the glass.
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to hold tight, as by grasping or embracing; cleave.
The children clung to each other in the dark.
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to be or remain close.
The child clung to her mother's side.
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to remain attached, as to an idea, hope, memory, etc..
Despite the predictions, the candidate clung to the belief that he would be elected.
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to cohere.
noun
noun
verb
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(often foll by to) to hold fast or adhere closely (to something), as by gripping or sticking
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(foll by together) to remain in contact (with each other)
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to be or remain physically or emotionally close
to cling to outmoded beliefs
noun
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agriculture the tendency of cotton fibres in a sample to stick to each other
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obsolete agriculture diarrhoea or scouring in animals
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short for clingstone
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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clingernoun
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clinginessnoun
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clingingnessnoun
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clingingadjective
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clingyadjective
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unclingingadjective
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clinginglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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clingsimple
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clingssimple
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have clungperfect
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has clungperfect
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am clingingprogressive
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are clingingprogressive
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is clingingprogressive
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have been clingingperfect progressive
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has been clingingperfect progressive
Past
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clungsimple
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had clungperfect
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was clingingprogressive
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were clingingprogressive
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had been clingingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing cling
Unit 1: Telling Details
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Nehru's "Tryst with Destiny" Speech
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Ship Breaker
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
They beautifully elucidate Herzog’s complex notions of loneliness, reminding us that the heart’s desire to cling to something familiar and safe can also be its undoing.
From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026
WSJ: This is worrying for people who want to cling to their skills, though, right?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
"It's like a moving train and when you join you just have to kind of jump on and cling on."
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
The roar of engines fills the night air in China's Chongqing city as tourists awkwardly clamber onto gleaming motorbikes and cling to muscular drivers to star in personalised videos.
From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026
A refrigerator floated by, and Natalie grabbed at it, hoping to cling to it like a log, but it spun in the water and sank at her touch.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
He gamely wears striped socks and short shorts; she sports Gloria Vanderbilt jeans and clings to her character’s emotional truth like it’s a bucking pterodactyl.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
Washed up on a rock in the Atlantic after a naval disaster, Christopher Martin clings to life with ferocious tenacity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
The cheese clings to the warm crackers, the pepper blooms in the fat and the whole thing eats like the bar snack version of cacio e pepe.
From Salon ● Jul. 14, 2026
Natasha eventually took Shalom home but still clings to her faith that God will help her find a cure.
From BBC ● Apr. 5, 2026
The swirling dust clings to my wet cheeks.
From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed
Those are the values Americans clung to when 9/11 sent us reeling.
From Slate ● Sep. 11, 2026
The new space cannot fully replicate the experience of visiting the cavernous undercroft when it was still raw and unfinished, with bottom-level soil so peaty that residue clung to one’s shoes for days.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
"I managed to find a wooden plank, which I clung to for two days and one night," Begum said, noting she eventually caught the attention of a passing rescue ship.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
The Dodgers catcher had previously clung to hope that the two, who had been reported missing, would be found.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026
He grabbed the box but Zheng clung on to it like a leech.
From "The Boy Who Met a Whale" by Nizrana Farook
Both junk-bond ETFs ended Monday clinging to slight 2026 gains on a total return basis, partly due to the higher compensation investors get for taking more risk in junk bonds.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026
To do it, Hansen forges forward with all the ardent conviction of an American soldier, clinging to the belief that his definition of good is the greater good, too.
From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2026
Researchers often found dirt and debris clinging to the animals, along with tiny parasites living on their bodies.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 25, 2026
This hysterical comedy by writer-director Jesse Eisenberg has deep affection for artists clinging to the bottom rung of showbiz.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
People faced a hard summer in 1850, clinging to life, and wondering more and more about what lay beyond.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
