cling

play

verb \ ˈkliŋ \

Definition of cling

clung play \ˈkləŋ\; clinging

intransitive verb

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.

—

clinger

play \ˈkliŋ-ər\ noun

—

clingy

play \ˈkliŋ-ē\ adjective

See cling defined for English-language learners

See cling defined for kids

Examples of cling in a Sentence

The children clung together under the little umbrella waiting for the storm to pass.
a dozen magnets clinging to the refrigerator

Recent Examples of cling from the Web

Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, until puffed and golden brown, and when a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean, or with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it.

— jill o'connor, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Stone fruit harvest makes flavor-enhanced desserts," 29 Aug. 2017
There still remains a slight possibility that he was made prisoner but this is a faint hope for the bereaved mother to cling to.

— kitty conley, Post-Tribune, "Crown Point Star Newspaper Almanac," 28 Aug. 2017
Then just 17 years old, locked up for violating the terms of a bond on a charge of armed robbery, Averett resolved to cling to football as a means to escape his circumstances and to clean up the act that had led to his incarceration.

— tim sullivan, The Courier-Journal, "Once 'labeled a menace to society,' Louisville football's Kemari Averett now a rising star," 17 Aug. 2017
The Windows phones still clinging to life are not Microsoft's.

— mark hachman, PCWorld, "Microsoft's Office sales soar and Windows Phone fades in cloud-happy earnings call," 20 July 2017
When these animals began to die as well, Spitzen-van der Sluijs rushed them here, about 2 hours away, where Martel and Pasmans cultured a fungus from a salamander clinging to life.

— erik stokstad, Science | AAAS, "A fungus is attacking Europe’s most beloved salamander. It could wreak havoc if it gets to North America," 19 July 2017
May’s difficulties have been stacking up since June’s disastrous election resulted in the Conservative Party losing its majority in Parliament and being forced into an uneasy alliance to cling on to power.

— tim ross, Bloomberg.com, "May Loyalists Said to Urge U.K. Prime Minister to Fire Plotters," 18 July 2017
Critics fear the administration will use the new entity to cling to power and destroy the last vestiges of democracy.

— jim wyss, patricia mazzei and alex daugherty, miamiherald, "Threat of U.S. oil sanctions on Venezuela sparks fears of economic ‘collapse’," 18 July 2017
Mr Trump has kept none of these promises, but clings to power nonetheless.

— The Economist, "If Donald Trump won a second termSuppose the Trump show runs and runs," 13 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cling.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of cling

Middle English, from Old English clingan; akin to Old High German klunga tangled ball of thread

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

cling Synonyms

Synonyms

adhere, cleave, stick, hew

Related Words

bind, cohere, fasten, fuse, glue, unite

Near Antonyms

loosen; drop, fall

Synonym Discussion of cling

stick, adhere, cohere, cling, cleave mean to become closely attached. stick implies attachment by affixing or by being glued together.

- couldn't get the label to stick

adhere is often interchangeable with stick but sometimes implies a growing together.

- antibodies adhering to a virus

cohere suggests a sticking together of parts so that they form a unified mass.

- eggs will make the mixture cohere

cling implies attachment by hanging on with arms or tendrils.

- clinging to a capsized boat

cleave stresses strength of attachment.

- the wet shirt cleaved to his back

cling

noun

Definition of cling

:an act or instance of clinging :adherence

Examples of cling in a Sentence

for certain types of materials that plastic wrap has very little cling

Recent Examples of cling from the Web

One simple and inexpensive precaution is a window cling that alerts first responders that a pet is inside the home.

— kelly mcbride, Cincinnati.com, "Vet clinic reaches out to pet owners who can't afford care," 27 June 2017
Customers station themselves at the table, the windowsill or a low shelf, each set with a saltshaker and an enormous bottle of Valentina hot sauce, which brings good cling, upfront heat and a citrus coda.

— ligaya mishan, New York Times, "A Shrimp Cocktail With a Jumbo Jolt, at La Esquina in Queens," 4 May 2017
The walls, curiously, have been carefully covered with fresh plastic cling wrap—like a serial killer would prepare his basement—to catch flying fish scales and for faster, easier cleanup.

— adam davidson, The New Yorker, "Anthony Bourdain’s Moveable Feast," 13 Feb. 2017

Origin and Etymology of cling

see ¹cling

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1625

See Words from the same year

cling Synonyms

Synonyms

adherence, bonding, adhesion

Antonyms

unsticking

Related Words

agglutination, clumping, cohesion; adhesiveness, attachment, cohesiveness, tenacity; cementing, gluing (also glueing)

CLING Defined for English Language Learners

cling

play

verb

Definition of cling for English Language Learners

: to hold onto something or someone very tightly
: to stay very close to someone for emotional support, protection, etc.
: to stick to something or someone

CLING Defined for Kids

cling

play

verb \ ˈkliŋ \

Definition of cling for Students

clung \ˈkləŋ\; clinging

1 :to hold fast by grasping or winding around

To avoid falling, cling to the railing.

2 :to remain close

He clings to the family.

3 :to hold fast or stick closely to a surface

These wet socks are clinging to my feet.

4 :to continue to believe in

We clung to the hope that we'd be rescued.

Learn More about cling

See words that rhyme with cling Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for cling Spanish Central: Translation of cling Nglish: Translation of cling for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of cling for Arabic speakers

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cling

Definition of cling

clinger

clingy

From the M-W Editors

Examples of cling in a Sentence

Recent Examples of cling from the Web

Origin and Etymology of cling

cling Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Synonym Discussion of cling

cling

Definition of cling

Examples of cling in a Sentence

Recent Examples of cling from the Web

Origin and Etymology of cling

cling Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Phrases Related to CLING

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CLING Defined for English Language Learners

cling

Definition of cling for English Language Learners

CLING Defined for Kids

cling

Definition of cling for Students

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