Dictionary.com
definitions

cluster

[kluhs-ter]
See more synonyms for cluster on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a number of things of the same kind, growing or held together; a bunch: a cluster of grapes.
  2. a group of things or persons close together: There was a cluster of tourists at the gate.
  3. 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.
  4. Phonetics. a succession of two or more contiguous consonants in an utterance, as the str- cluster of strap.
  5. 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)
  1. to gather into a cluster or clusters.
  2. to furnish or cover with clusters.
verb (used without object)
  1. to form a cluster or clusters: The people clustered around to watch.

Origin of cluster

before 900; Middle English; Old English cluster, clyster bunch; cognate with Low German kluster
Related formsclus·ter·ing·ly, adverbclus·ter·y, adjectivein·ter·clus·ter, adjectivesub·clus·ter, nounun·clus·tered, adjectiveun·clus·ter·ing, adjective

Synonyms for cluster

See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.com
8. group, gather, throng, crowd, bunch.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for clustered

flock, gather, bundle, parcel, package, associate, accumulate, collect, aggregate, cumulate, bunch

Examples from the Web for clustered

Contemporary Examples of clustered

Historical Examples of clustered

  • It was a sad breakdown to the hopes that had clustered about Gartley!

    Weighed and Wanting

    George MacDonald

  • They clustered in a close group near the fire, facing a common centre.

    The Leopard Woman

    Stewart Edward White

  • The lights were clustered at the foot of a long and rather steep hill.

    Cap'n Warren's Wards

    Joseph C. Lincoln

  • A mob of boys clambered on the rails, clustered round the davits.

    Lord Jim

    Joseph Conrad

  • Daintily swinging, like clustered pearls, were the petals of the orchid.

    The Trail of '98

    Robert W. Service

British Dictionary definitions for clustered

cluster

noun
  1. a number of things growing, fastened, or occurring close together
  2. a number of persons or things grouped together
  3. US military a metal insignia worn on a medal ribbon to indicate a second award or a higher class of a decoration or order
  4. military
    1. a group of bombs dropped in one stick, esp fragmentation and incendiary bombs
    2. the basic unit of mines used in laying a minefield
  5. astronomy an aggregation of stars or galaxies moving together through space
  6. a group of two or more consecutive vowels or consonants
  7. statistics a naturally occurring subgroup of a population used in stratified sampling
  8. chem
    1. a chemical compound or molecule containing groups of metal atoms joined by metal-to-metal bonds
    2. the group of linked metal atoms present
verb
  1. 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 clustered

cluster

n.

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

cluster

v.

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

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper