cling

¹

[ kling ]

verb (used without object)

, clung [kluhng], cling·ing.

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.

noun

1. the act of clinging; adherence; attachment.

cling

²

[ kling ]

noun

1. a clingstone.

cling

/ 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

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

Derived Forms

• ˈclingingly, adverb
• ˈclingy, adjective
• ˈclinginess, noun
• ˈclinging, adjective
• ˈclinger, noun

Other Words From

• clinger noun
• clinging·ly adverb
• clinging·ness noun
• un·clinging adjective

Word History and Origins

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)

Word History and Origins

Origin of cling¹

Old English clingan; related to clench

Example Sentences

But the fact of the matter is the equal protection they cling to is not the reality.

From The Daily Beast

Yet instead of disbelieving that the facts will set us free, we cling to them as if they were spoils of war.

From The Daily Beast

Democrats cling to only to handful of redoubts, often districts gerrymandered by Republican legislatures to be majority black.

From The Daily Beast

Without Dawn and her desperate need to cling to power, the evil place falls apart.

From The Daily Beast

The sharply tailored blazer and weighty jewelry that cling to her body hints at the dominant personality she possesses.

From The Daily Beast

Life is represented as struggling to free herself from the gross earthly forms that cling to her.

From Project Gutenberg

It is wonderful how long a withered leaf will sometimes cling to its branch.

From Project Gutenberg

These had a ghostly effect on Yung Pak, and made him cling closely to the side of his tutor.

From Project Gutenberg

Even when the new have been adopted we very often find that something of the ancient and discarded notions cling in our phrases.

From Project Gutenberg

We occupy too wide an extent of country: we exhaust our resources without profit and without necessity: we cling to dreams.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• adhere
• clasp
• fasten