: a number of similar things that occur together: such as
a
: two or more consecutive consonants or vowels in a segment of speech
b
: a group of buildings and especially houses built close together on a sizable tract in order to preserve open spaces larger than the individual yard for common recreation
c
: an aggregation of stars or galaxies that appear close together in the sky and are gravitationally associated
the Perseus cluster of galaxies
d
: a larger than expected number of cases of disease (such as leukemia) occurring in a particular locality, group of people, or period of time
e
: a number of computers networked together in order to function as a single computing system
Consisting of groups of inexpensive machines cobbled together, clusters in many ways have supplanted traditional supercomputers.—
Elizabeth K. Wilson
Elizabeth K. Wilson
clustered; clustering
ˈklə-st(ə-)riŋ 
1
: to collect into a cluster
cluster the tents together
2
: to furnish with clusters
the bridge was clustered with men and officers—Herman Wouk
Herman Wouk
: to grow, assemble, or occur in a cluster
they clustered around the fire
Synonyms
Examples of cluster in a Sentence
Noun
a cluster of cottages along the shore
A small cluster of people had gathered at the scene of the accident.
Verb
The children clustered around the storyteller.
the mice clustered together into a small burrow
Recent Examples on the WebElizabeth Gamillo, Discover Magazine, 5 Apr. 2024
This spring-flowering shrub has large, round clusters of flowers that look similar to hydrangea blooms when in bloom.
—Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 4 Apr. 2024
The two clusters of outages impacted countries in East Africa, including Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, and Mozambique, Madory says.
—Matt Burgess, WIRED, 1 Apr. 2024
Baltimore’s logistics cluster has been under pressure in recent years.
—David J. Lynch, Washington Post, 31 Mar. 2024
The second cluster of applications is using AI to generate data and uncover new signals, further putting otherwise manual data entry on autopilot.
—Ray Zhou, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Harbor Country, an idyllic cluster of eight small towns, features water as blue as a tropical postcard, sloping dunes, and great food at every turn.
—Alex Beggs, Bon Appétit, 21 Mar. 2024
Slightly off-center and to the left is a cluster of mouse buttons, plus a scroll wheel that moves the page up and down.
—PCMAG, 22 Mar. 2024
The modes adjust drivetrain tuning, damping, ABS tuning, engine and transmission tuning, steering and instrument cluster.
—Mark Phelan, Detroit Free Press, 21 Mar. 2024
Steve Bender, Southern Living, 9 Apr. 2024
Men clustering around a ditch suggested the worst, as did women running at full speed through the dirt.
—Anand Gopal, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024
Its ruins include a densely populated area with houses clustered together that could be accessed from the roof.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2024
In biology, a singularity might happen when an explosion of species stems from a series of changes clustered so tightly together as to appear instantaneous and inseparable on the order of evolutionary time.
—Popular Science, 22 Feb. 2024
Read More: Power to the People — By Plugging into the Sahara
While 2.5 million people sounds like a lot, bear in mind that most of those populations are clustered in cities and towns.
—Stephen C. George, Discover Magazine, 5 Feb. 2024
Finding talent in finance and internal audit (37%), compliance with laws and regulations (36%), and finance transformation (33%), were clustered together.
—Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 14 Mar. 2024
The process clusters homes into eight to 12 routes, with eight to 10 houses on each route.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Detroit Free Press, 12 Mar. 2024
Tents were clustered together and encircled by alleys, forming little neighborhoods.
—Anand Gopal, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024
Noun
The simulation can track the star's mass, the density of a star cluster, the speed of stars' orbits, the pull gravity has on the stars, and the distance each star is from the supermassive black hole.
—Elizabeth Gamillo, Discover Magazine, 5 Apr. 2024
This spring-flowering shrub has large, round clusters of flowers that look similar to hydrangea blooms when in bloom.
—Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 4 Apr. 2024
The two clusters of outages impacted countries in East Africa, including Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, and Mozambique, Madory says.
—Matt Burgess, WIRED, 1 Apr. 2024
Baltimore’s logistics cluster has been under pressure in recent years.
—David J. Lynch, Washington Post, 31 Mar. 2024
The second cluster of applications is using AI to generate data and uncover new signals, further putting otherwise manual data entry on autopilot.
—Ray Zhou, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Harbor Country, an idyllic cluster of eight small towns, features water as blue as a tropical postcard, sloping dunes, and great food at every turn.
—Alex Beggs, Bon Appétit, 21 Mar. 2024
Slightly off-center and to the left is a cluster of mouse buttons, plus a scroll wheel that moves the page up and down.
—PCMAG, 22 Mar. 2024
The modes adjust drivetrain tuning, damping, ABS tuning, engine and transmission tuning, steering and instrument cluster.
—Mark Phelan, Detroit Free Press, 21 Mar. 2024
Verb
Leaves cluster at the ends of stems that stand 6 to 12 inches tall.
—Steve Bender, Southern Living, 9 Apr. 2024
Men clustering around a ditch suggested the worst, as did women running at full speed through the dirt.
—Anand Gopal, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024
Its ruins include a densely populated area with houses clustered together that could be accessed from the roof.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2024
In biology, a singularity might happen when an explosion of species stems from a series of changes clustered so tightly together as to appear instantaneous and inseparable on the order of evolutionary time.
—Popular Science, 22 Feb. 2024
Read More: Power to the People — By Plugging into the Sahara
While 2.5 million people sounds like a lot, bear in mind that most of those populations are clustered in cities and towns.
—Stephen C. George, Discover Magazine, 5 Feb. 2024
Finding talent in finance and internal audit (37%), compliance with laws and regulations (36%), and finance transformation (33%), were clustered together.
—Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 14 Mar. 2024
The process clusters homes into eight to 12 routes, with eight to 10 houses on each route.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Detroit Free Press, 12 Mar. 2024
Tents were clustered together and encircled by alleys, forming little neighborhoods.
—Anand Gopal, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cluster.' 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 cluster
Cite this Entry
“Cluster.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cluster. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Medical Definition
cluster
noun
clus·ter
ˈkləs-tər
: a larger than expected number of cases of disease (as leukemia) occurring in a particular locality, group of people, or period of time
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