cling

[kling]

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verb (used without object), clung, 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.

Origin of cling

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

Related formscling·er, nouncling·ing·ly, adverbcling·ing·ness, nounun·cling·ing, adjective

Synonyms for cling

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2. clutch, grab, hug.

cling

[kling]

noun

a clingstone.

Origin of cling

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. 2018

Related Words for cling

fasten, clasp, adhere, grip, hug, last, linger, clutch, continue, embrace, stick, cherish, grasp, cohere, squeeze, endure

Examples from the Web for cling

Contemporary Examples of cling

But the fact of the matter is the equal protection they cling to is not the reality.
What Would Happen if I Got in White Cop’s Face?
Goldie Taylor
December 30, 2014
Yet instead of disbelieving that the facts will set us free, we cling to them as if they were spoils of war.
On Torture, Chuck Johnson & Sondheim
James Poulos
December 13, 2014
Democrats cling to only to handful of redoubts, often districts gerrymandered by Republican legislatures to be majority black.
Southern Dems Won’t Rise Again
Ben Jacobs
December 5, 2014
Without Dawn and her desperate need to cling to power, the evil place falls apart.
The Walking Dead’s Midseason Finale Shocker: A Cherished Character Meets a Grisly End
Melissa Leon
December 1, 2014
The sharply tailored blazer and weighty jewelry that cling to her body hints at the dominant personality she possesses.
Whip It: Secrets of a Dominatrix
Justin Jones
November 25, 2014

Historical Examples of cling

Their skin does not cling so closely as the skin of oranges.
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 5
Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
She must have something to which she could cling if it were nothing more than a familiar routine.
Dust
Mr. and Mrs. Haldeman-Julius
She didn't seem willin' to have me go; she seemed to cling to me.
Samantha Among the Brethren, Part 1.
Josiah Allen's Wife (Marietta Holley)
If we cling not to Him, our names to that document will be but as dust.
The Works of Whittier, Volume VII (of VII)
John Greenleaf Whittier
I cling for a second to what is, and then I fling myself headlong into what is to be.
My Double Life
Sarah Bernhardt

British Dictionary definitions for cling

cling

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 Formsclinging, adjectiveclinger, nounclingingly, adverbclingy, adjectiveclinginess or clingingness, noun

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

Word Origin and History for cling

Old English clingan "hold fast, adhere closely; congeal, shrivel" (strong verb, past tense clang, past participle clungen), from Proto-Germanic *klingg- (cf. Danish klynge "to cluster;" Old High German klinga "narrow gorge;" Old Norse klengjask "press onward;" Danish klinke, Dutch klinken "to clench;" German Klinke "latch").

The main sense shifted in Middle English to "adhere to" (something else), "stick together." Of persons in embrace, c.1600. Figuratively (to hopes, outmoded ideas, etc.), from 1580s. Of clothes from 1792. Related: Clung; clinging.