cling
1 Americanverb (used without object)
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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
- clinger noun
- clinginess noun
- clinging adjective
- clingingly adverb
- clingingness noun
- clingy adjective
- unclinging adjective
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)
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.
"It's definitely pretty cool to know that I'll be around," said Heath, his daughter and nephew clinging to his legs.
From Barron's
After weeks of strikes, residents of Tehran painted a picture of a city that is still clinging to some routine despite tight security.
From Barron's
Iran's Fars news agency reported explosions and power outages in parts of Tehran, where residents painted a picture of a city that is still clinging to some routine despite tight security.
From Barron's
And Kantaria is hoping he can just about cling on until then.
The air is cooler the next morning, a light mist clinging to the trees and grass.
From Literature
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.
