cling

¹ American  

[kling] / klɪŋ /

verb (used without object)

• clings,
  present (3rd person singular)
• clung,
  past participle,  past
• clinging
  present participle

1. to adhere closely; stick to.

   The wet paper clings to the glass.

2. to hold tight, as by grasping or embracing; cleave.

   The children clung to each other in the dark.

   Synonyms:

   hug, grab, clutch

3. to be or remain close.

   The child clung to her mother's side.

4. to remain attached, as to an idea, hope, memory, etc..

   Despite the predictions, the candidate clung to the belief that he would be elected.

5. to cohere.

---

noun

1. the act of clinging; adherence; attachment.

cling ² American  

[kling] / klɪŋ /

noun

1. a clingstone.

---

cling British  

/ klɪŋ /

verb

1. (often foll by to) to hold fast or adhere closely (to something), as by gripping or sticking

2. (foll by together) to remain in contact (with each other)

3. to be or remain physically or emotionally close

   to cling to outmoded beliefs

---

noun

1. agriculture the tendency of cotton fibres in a sample to stick to each other

2. obsolete agriculture diarrhoea or scouring in animals

3. short for clingstone

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• clinger
  noun
• clinginess
  noun
• clingingness
  noun
• clinging
  adjective
• clingy
  adjective
• unclinging
  adjective
• clingingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• clinging
  present
• clung
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• cling
  simple
• clings
  simple
• have clung
  perfect
• has clung
  perfect
• am clinging
  progressive
• are clinging
  progressive
• is clinging
  progressive
• have been clinging
  perfect progressive
• has been clinging
  perfect progressive

Past

• clung
  simple
• had clung
  perfect
• was clinging
  progressive
• were clinging
  progressive
• had been clinging
  perfect progressive

Future

• will cling
  simple
• will have clung
  perfect
• will be clinging
  progressive
• will have been clinging
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of cling¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English clingen, Old English clingan “to stick together, shrink, wither”; akin to clench

Origin of cling²

1835–45; by shortening from clingstone, or special use of cling ¹ (noun)

Explanation

To cling is to tightly grasp something or to stick closely to something, like how wet clothes cling to the wearer. Clinging has to do with closeness. A scared child will cling to his parent, holding on tight. People in love cling to one another in embraces. When you're on a roller coaster, it's best to cling to whatever restraint you can. Similarly, things cling to each other when they're hard to separate. Clothes fresh out of the dryer often cling to each other. Strands of cooked spaghetti cling to each other. Stretchy clothing like spandex clings to the bodies of the people who wear it.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cling clings clung clinging

When the burn or scald has cooled, lay cling film over it, if possible.

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026

"The man's crossed legs might evoke indifference, the phone a culture of emptiness, the parasol a comfort people cling to," it said.

From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026

It is supplying the constitutional context and stripping away the pretense courts so often cling to when they want to stay out of the fray.

From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026

“Great universities don’t cling to old decisions simply because they were once the right ones,” Palazoglu said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026

They see her as a thing, a bridge to their lost loved ones that they so desperately cling to.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

He gamely wears striped socks and short shorts; she sports Gloria Vanderbilt jeans and clings to her character’s emotional truth like it’s a bucking pterodactyl.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

What is clear is that Infantino is no longer coasting towards a fourth term, if he clings on that long.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

This water layer is only a few molecules thick, yet it clings to the nanopore surface and prevents ions from directly interacting with it.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 9, 2026

Tamma tiptoes “up climbs with body english and devious footwork”; she clings to fingerholds the size of molars; a fall sees her come “cheesegrating” down a slab.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026

She clings to him and he pats her back.

From "Everything, Everything" by Nicola Yoon

Ryder clung onto Nathaniel as waves repeatedly crashed over them.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026

The majority of residents and tourists were wearing masks and the smell of smoke clung on to clothes for days, she said.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

"I managed to find a wooden plank, which I clung to for two days and one night," Begum said, noting she eventually caught the attention of a passing rescue ship.

From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026

“This woman clung to her baby, and said, ‘I just had this baby.

From Salon ● Jun. 27, 2026

But he clung dizzy and pale to even the lowest boughs.

From "Rowan of Rin" by Emily Rodda

The phrase "LIV 2.0" was used on countless occasions by the league's leadership - and that is the dream they are clinging to.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

Corporate America, she said in a small group session of three people, is full of toxic behavior—scapegoating, backdoor machinations and leaders clinging to whatever power they have at the expense of good ideas.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

Just 21 Madeiran lands snails were found clinging to a rock on Portugal's Bugio Island.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

Rahela Begum survived the horrors of war in Myanmar and life in the world's largest refugee camp in Bangladesh -- only to end up drifting at sea, clinging to a wooden plank.

From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026

Mother was now clinging to the belief that Father would come back.

From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman

Related Words

• adhere
• clasp
• fasten