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Synonyms

clique

American  
[kleek, klik] / klik, klɪk /

noun

  1. a small, exclusive group of people; coterie; set.

verb (used without object)

cliqued, cliquing

  1. Informal. to form, or associate in, a clique.

clique British  
/ klɪk, kliːk /

noun

  1. a small, exclusive group of friends or associates

"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

Related Words

See circle, ring 1.

Other Word Forms

  • cliqueless adjective
  • cliquey adjective
  • cliquish adjective
  • cliquishly adverb
  • cliquishness noun
  • cliquism noun
  • cliquy adjective
  • subclique noun

Etymology

Origin of clique

1705–15; < French, apparently metaphorical use of Middle French clique latch, or noun derivative of cliquer to make noise, resound, imitative word parallel to click 1

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.