This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
clique
[ klik, kleek ]
/ klɪk, klik /
Save This Word!
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
noun
a small, exclusive group of people; coterie; set.
verb (used without object), cliqued, cli·quing.
Informal. to form, or associate in, a clique.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?
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 click1
OTHER WORDS FROM clique
clique·less, adjectivecli·quey, cli·quy, adjectivecli·quism, nounsub·clique, nounWords nearby clique
clipping, clipshears, clipsheet, clip someone's wings, clipt, clique, cliquey, cliquish, clishmaclaver, clisis, Clisthenes
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use clique in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for clique
clique
/ (kliːk, klɪk) /
noun
a small, exclusive group of friends or associates
Derived forms of clique
cliquish, adjectivecliquishly, adverbcliquishness, nounWord Origin for clique
C18: from French, perhaps from Old French: latch, from cliquer to click; suggestive of the necessity to exclude nonmembers
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