clique
Americannoun
verb (used without object)
noun
Related Words
Other Word Forms
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
Explanation
A clique is an exclusive group of people or friends. Before Rudolph pulled Santa's sled through the fog, the clique of flying reindeer never let him play their reindeer games. In high school, the exclusive nature of cliques causes a lot of hurt feelings. Clique carries this less than nice feeling with it wherever it goes, whether it be a set of elites who surround a government official, a group of popular kids who don't let others join their group or the closed circle of people at the office who always make sure they get the best jobs.
Vocabulary lists containing clique
100 SAT words Beginning with "C"
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The Catcher in the Rye
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Bronx Masquerade
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Set in a Dallas shopping mall, “Forbidden Fruits” revolves around an elite clique of retail employees who run a witches’ coven out of the basement of their boho boutique Free Eden.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 25, 2026
Miller was popular in the sense that she was part of a clique and had social status, but her former classmates said that popularity shouldn’t be confused with being well liked.
From Slate • Dec. 18, 2025
In Los Angeles, she had a close-knit circle of friends called the "Kitties", according to Marquez, which was a clique of mostly female friends who liked to throw parties - attended by celebrities.
From BBC • Dec. 6, 2025
The only member of the clique of hyperscalers to authorize new buybacks this year has been Alphabet, which said back in April that it would purchase up to $70 billion.
From MarketWatch • Nov. 20, 2025
She didn’t need him anyway—she’d quickly formed a new clique with the seagulls who hovered near her at lunchtime.
From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
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.
