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Synonyms

clung

American  
[kluhng] / klʌŋ /

verb

  1. simple past tense and past participle of cling.

clung British  
/ klʌŋ /

verb

  1. the past tense and past participle of cling

"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

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.

The crew had been searching for Mandy for more than 40 minutes, while she clung to the board.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

From what we see of Scotty in flashbacks, he was a buoyant blond goofball — exactly the kind of guy that the apparently friendless and family-less Kenna would have clung to like a life preserver.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 12, 2026

Children clung to their mothers inside halls lacking the most basic necessities.

From Barron's • Mar. 6, 2026

The almost overly seasoned bits that clung stubbornly to the metal.

From Salon • Feb. 24, 2026

The day was too hot and his T-shirt clung to his skin.

From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova

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.