cling
1to 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.
the act of clinging; adherence; attachment.
Origin of cling
1Other words for cling
Other words from cling
- clinger, noun
- cling·ing·ly, adverb
- cling·ing·ness, noun
- un·cling·ing, adjective
Other definitions for cling (2 of 2)
a clingstone.
Origin of cling
2Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use cling in a sentence
We first met Hajji Zalwar Khan over tea and lunch in the Pech Valley in a house clinging to a cliff high above the valley floor.
Heart of Darkness: Into Afghanistan’s Taliban Valley | Matt Trevithick, Daniel Seckman | November 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBut that is of most interest either to hardcore Democrats or to non-voters clinging to the bottom of the economy.
They said that the rest eventually sank beneath the surface—some after bobbing in the water clinging to debris for several hours.
Hundreds of Migrants are Reported Drowned by Traffickers Near Malta | Barbie Latza Nadeau | September 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTMy muddy shoe slipped, and I banged my kneecap on a fence rail, clinging for dear life.
The people of Donetsk are clinging to normality, trying to enjoy the spring, but their anger, disillusionment and fear runs deep.
Putin Has Predicted Civil War in Ukraine. So Do Many of Its People | Anna Nemtsova | April 16, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The boys were tumbling about, clinging to his legs, imploring that numerous things be brought back to them.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories | Kate ChopinWas it his moment of iron self-mastery that brought her with outstretched, clinging arms towards him?
The Wave | Algernon Blackwood"No," said the Bull over his shoulder as he lifted his hind legs from the clinging mud and cleared his nostrils.
Kipling Stories and Poems Every Child Should Know, Book II | Rudyard KiplingCrossing the heath, her pathway lay near the spot where she had been found, clinging to the bosom of her dead mother.
The World Before Them | Susanna MoodieMatt, clinging like grim death to the stout hemp, was jerked into the air and hurled forward and inward.
Motor Matt's "Century" Run | Stanley R. Matthews
British Dictionary definitions for cling
/ (klɪŋ) /
(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 close: to cling to outmoded beliefs
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
Origin of cling
1Derived forms of cling
- clinging, adjective
- clinger, noun
- clingingly, adverb
- clingy, adjective
- clinginess or clingingness, noun
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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