clung
ˈkləŋ 
; clinging
; clinging
1
a
: to hold together
b
: to adhere as if glued firmly
The shirt clung to his wet shoulders.
c
: to hold or hold on tightly or tenaciously
The kitten clung to the narrow branch.
2
a
: to have a strong emotional attachment or dependence
he clung to his friends for support
b
: to remain or linger as if resisting complete spreading or scattering
The odor clung to the room for hours.
plural clings
2
3
: a sheet of material (such as plastic or vinyl) designed to adhere to a flat surface by static electricity and often printed with an image or message
When it's time for a new look, simply peel off the clings and store them away for another day.—
Lorna Hordos
Lorna HordosSynonyms
Examples of cling in a Sentence
Verb
The children clung together under the little umbrella waiting for the storm to pass.
a dozen magnets clinging to the refrigerator
Noun
for certain types of materials that plastic wrap has very little cling
Recent Examples on the WebJiayang Fan, The New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2024
From the ashes of that failure, several key members of the team clung to the idea of a Supercell mashup.
—Gieson Cacho, The Mercury News, 25 Apr. 2024
In another video, rescuers could be seen trying to save an elderly person clinging to a tree half-submerged in flood waters.
—Reuters, NBC News, 21 Apr. 2024
Boulter followed that up with a 7-5 6-0 victory against Clara Burel after an epic 72-minute first set that included one 20-minute, nine deuce game as the British No.1 managed to cling on and defend her serve.
—Issy Ronald, CNN, 14 Apr. 2024
The 56-year-old president clung to life for nine agonizing hours, expiring the next morning in a cramped room rented by Union veteran Willie Clark.
—Brian Matthew Jordan, National Review, 14 Apr. 2024
But over the last few centuries, humans and wildfires damaged or destroyed these forests, and by 1989, just 50 helmeted honeyeaters remained, clinging to a tiny sliver of swamp at the Yellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve.
—Emily Anthes Chang W. Lee, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2024
His allies always clung to their faith that, sooner or later, Navalny would outlive the regime and emerge from the prison to replace it.
—Simon Shuster / Vilnius, TIME, 17 Apr. 2024
The stench of decomposing corpses clung to the vehicle.
—Cate Brown, Washington Post, 16 Apr. 2024
Sunset Magazine, 22 Mar. 2024
The smell of cigarette smoke and fryer oil hang in the air and cling to weathered vinyl seats like raindrops on a window, evidence of years and years of clientele using the space.
—Korsha Wilson, Bon Appétit, 11 Mar. 2024
And in a documentary film about his role in helping Mr. Trump remain in power after losing the 2020 election, Mr. Stone was caught on camera laying out plans to create and exploit uncertainty about the election results to help Mr. Trump cling to power.
—Luke Broadwater, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2024
Businesses listed on the registry will also get official branding in the form of window clings and promotion on official city websites, such as on an online registry.
—Frank Shyong, Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec. 2023
This window cling set comes with six sheets featuring maple leaves and pine cones.
—Erica Reagle, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Oct. 2023
In the world of window clings, this one has a leg up on the rest.
—Sarah Wolf Halverson, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Sep. 2023
To deactivate the cling, swipe a dryer sheet on the problem surface areas.
—Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 5 Sep. 2023
The palace and the military cling to each other ever more tightly and rule ever less competently, a political alliance in obvious decline but incapable of either retreat or reform.
—Andrew J. Nathan, Foreign Affairs, 24 Aug. 2021
Verb
Splatters of sauce and wayward shreds of squab clung to our flushed faces and shirtfronts like confetti.
—Jiayang Fan, The New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2024
From the ashes of that failure, several key members of the team clung to the idea of a Supercell mashup.
—Gieson Cacho, The Mercury News, 25 Apr. 2024
In another video, rescuers could be seen trying to save an elderly person clinging to a tree half-submerged in flood waters.
—Reuters, NBC News, 21 Apr. 2024
Boulter followed that up with a 7-5 6-0 victory against Clara Burel after an epic 72-minute first set that included one 20-minute, nine deuce game as the British No.1 managed to cling on and defend her serve.
—Issy Ronald, CNN, 14 Apr. 2024
The 56-year-old president clung to life for nine agonizing hours, expiring the next morning in a cramped room rented by Union veteran Willie Clark.
—Brian Matthew Jordan, National Review, 14 Apr. 2024
But over the last few centuries, humans and wildfires damaged or destroyed these forests, and by 1989, just 50 helmeted honeyeaters remained, clinging to a tiny sliver of swamp at the Yellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve.
—Emily Anthes Chang W. Lee, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2024
His allies always clung to their faith that, sooner or later, Navalny would outlive the regime and emerge from the prison to replace it.
—Simon Shuster / Vilnius, TIME, 17 Apr. 2024
The stench of decomposing corpses clung to the vehicle.
—Cate Brown, Washington Post, 16 Apr. 2024
Noun
Pesto is made with pistachio and enriched with cream to help the sauce cling to the ridges of the penne.
—Sunset Magazine, 22 Mar. 2024
The smell of cigarette smoke and fryer oil hang in the air and cling to weathered vinyl seats like raindrops on a window, evidence of years and years of clientele using the space.
—Korsha Wilson, Bon Appétit, 11 Mar. 2024
And in a documentary film about his role in helping Mr. Trump remain in power after losing the 2020 election, Mr. Stone was caught on camera laying out plans to create and exploit uncertainty about the election results to help Mr. Trump cling to power.
—Luke Broadwater, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2024
Businesses listed on the registry will also get official branding in the form of window clings and promotion on official city websites, such as on an online registry.
—Frank Shyong, Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec. 2023
This window cling set comes with six sheets featuring maple leaves and pine cones.
—Erica Reagle, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Oct. 2023
In the world of window clings, this one has a leg up on the rest.
—Sarah Wolf Halverson, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Sep. 2023
To deactivate the cling, swipe a dryer sheet on the problem surface areas.
—Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 5 Sep. 2023
The palace and the military cling to each other ever more tightly and rule ever less competently, a political alliance in obvious decline but incapable of either retreat or reform.
—Andrew J. Nathan, Foreign Affairs, 24 Aug. 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cling.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near cling
Cite this Entry
“Cling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cling. Accessed 3 May. 2024.
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