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clique

[ klik, kleek ]
/ klɪk, klik /
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See synonyms for: clique / cliquey on Thesaurus.com

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

synonym study for clique

1. See circle, ring1.

OTHER WORDS FROM clique

clique·less, adjectivecli·quey, cli·quy, adjectivecli·quism, nounsub·clique, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH clique

1. claque, clique 2. click, clique
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, noun

Word 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
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