clique
Americannoun
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cliques
plural
verb (used without object)
noun
Synonym Usage
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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cliquishnessnoun
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cliquismnoun
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subcliquenoun
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cliquelessadjective
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cliqueyadjective
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cliquishadjective
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cliquyadjective
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cliquishlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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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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.
See Examples For:
New ideas were flowing from conversations with members of his Book Club, the clique of senior figures in business and politics bonding over the short novels they had time to read.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
The “Mormon Wives,” a group of women associated with the social media clique known as #MomTok, never neatly fit the internet’s definition of tradwives, either.
From Salon ● Sep. 12, 2026
Independent non-executive chair Chris Train stepped down on Friday after the report described the firm's leadership as an "unaccountable clique".
From BBC ● May 1, 2026
How all this might impact #MomTok — the power of their clique to withstand the various in-fighting and drama has become a perennial concern each season — is already playing out in the headlines.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 19, 2026
He had a couple of good friends, but he avoided becoming part of any one clique at school.
From "Gregor the Overlander" by Suzanne Collins
But cliques within the bloc are emerging to push for change.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
Within this large group, cliques were formed but they often intermingled and share territory, like something from a simian Pixar film.
From Salon ● Apr. 23, 2026
In this milieu, Hollywood A-listers like Will Ferrell and Sharon Stone, who occupy separate cliques nearby, pale in comparison to the mingling artistic luminaries.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2026
Most didn’t stay in one place for long but instead formed temporary cliques based on the games they played.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 27, 2026
He was surprised to find the report put to use by opposing cliques as evidence that the fair could not possibly be placed in Jackson Park.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
So the thing about Elon Musk is that he’s cliqued up — specifically with the so-called PayPal Mafia.
From The Verge ● Sep. 1, 2022
The Frenchmen are cliqued against him, for Vieuxtemps has arrived, and they mean to maintain his superiority.
From Early Letters of George Wm. Curtis by George Willis Cooke
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
