cluster

[ kluhs-ter ]

/ ˈklʌs tər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR cluster ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a number of things of the same kind, growing or held together; a bunch: a cluster of grapes.

a group of things or persons close together: There was a cluster of tourists at the gate.

U.S. Army. a small metal design placed on a ribbon representing an awarded medal to indicate that the same medal has been awarded again: oak-leaf cluster.

Phonetics. a succession of two or more contiguous consonants in an utterance, as the str- cluster of strap.

Astronomy. a group of neighboring stars, held together by mutual gravitation, that have essentially the same age and composition and thus supposedly a common origin.Compare globular cluster, open cluster, stellar association.

verb (used with object)

to gather into a cluster or clusters.

to furnish or cover with clusters.

verb (used without object)

to form a cluster or clusters: The people clustered around to watch.

Nearby words

clupeid, clupeoid, clurman, clurman, harold, clusium, cluster, cluster area, cluster bomb, cluster college, cluster cup, cluster fly

Origin of cluster

before 900; Middle English; Old English cluster, clyster bunch; cognate with Low German kluster

SYNONYMS FOR cluster

8 group, gather, throng, crowd, bunch.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR cluster ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

clus·ter·ing·ly, adverbclus·ter·y, adjectivein·ter·clus·ter, adjectivesub·clus·ter, noun

un·clus·tered, adjectiveun·clus·ter·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cluster

To his credit, Huckabee is conscious of the fact that he will need a cluster of deep-pocketed patrons and bundlers.
Can Huckabee Convert the GOP’s Moneymen?|Lloyd Green|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Art Basel itself is but the center of a cluster of mega-shows taking place in Miami this week.
Sneer and Clothing in Miami: Inside The $3 Billion Woodstock of Contemporary Art|Jay Michaelson|December 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But the crown itself (or headband or cluster of buds) screams disingenuous.
Flower Crowns Are Phony and Must Die|Sara Lieberman|September 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
My millennial friends have waited in line beside a cluster of Orthodox women in long dark skirts to be seen by Peggy.
New York's Sexiest Kosher Corsets|Emily Shire|August 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Faith-based advocacy organizations in D.C. tend to cluster into like-minded groups.
Even Conservative Evangelical Support Couldn’t Save Immigration Reform|Jacob Lupfer|July 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
So we sat beneath a cluster of rocks, and watched, and watched.
The Induna's Wife|Bertram Mitford
These are made the same as cherries, except a cluster would have several sizes.
Make Your Own Hats|Gene Allen Martin
It was no servant, but a tall man, with the light from a cluster of lamps lying full upon his face.
The Gold Brick|Ann S. Stephens
These leaves were so tightly pressed together that they seemed to blend and form a mat or cluster of rosettes.
Seraphita|Honore de Balzac
At its head a cluster of vehicles, horse-drawn as well as motor-driven, waited.
Nobody|Louis Joseph Vance

British Dictionary definitions for cluster

cluster

/ (ˈklʌstə) /

noun

a number of things growing, fastened, or occurring close together

a number of persons or things grouped together

US military a metal insignia worn on a medal ribbon to indicate a second award or a higher class of a decoration or order

military

a group of bombs dropped in one stick, esp fragmentation and incendiary bombs
the basic unit of mines used in laying a minefield

astronomy an aggregation of stars or galaxies moving together through space

a group of two or more consecutive vowels or consonants

statistics a naturally occurring subgroup of a population used in stratified sampling

chem

a chemical compound or molecule containing groups of metal atoms joined by metal-to-metal bonds
the group of linked metal atoms present

verb

to gather or be gathered in clusters

Derived Formsclustered, adjectiveclusteringly, adverbclustery, adjective

Word Origin for cluster

Old English clyster; related to Low German Kluster; see clod, clot

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

Word Origin and History for cluster (1 of 2)

cluster

Old English clyster "cluster," probably from the same root as clot (n.). Of stars, from 1727. Cluster-bomb attested from 1967.

Word Origin and History for cluster (1 of 2)

cluster

late 14c. (transitive), from cluster (n.). Intransitive sense from 1540s. Related: Clustered; clustering.

cluster

noun

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

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Nearby words

Origin of cluster

Examples from the Web for cluster

British Dictionary definitions for cluster

cluster

noun

verb

Word Origin for cluster

Word Origin and History for cluster (1 of 2)

cluster

Word Origin and History for cluster (1 of 2)

cluster