clique
[ kleek, klik ]
/ klik, klɪk /
noun
a small, exclusive group of people; coterie; set.
verb (used without object), cliqued, cli·quing.
Informal. to form, or associate in, a clique.
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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
cliqueless, adjectivecliquey, cliquy, adjectivecliquism, nounsubclique, 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. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for clique
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
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