clique

noun

ˈklik 

also

ˈklēk 

: a narrow exclusive circle or group of persons

especially : one held together by common interests, views, or purposes

high school cliques

cliquey

ˈkli-kē 

also

ˈklē- 

adjective

cliquish

ˈkli-kish 

adjective

cliquishly adverb

cliquishness noun

Synonyms of clique

• circle
• crowd
• network
• community
• bunch
• gang
• pack
• clan
• coterie
• coven

Examples of clique in a Sentence

that clique refuses to even talk to outsiders at their lunch table

Recent Examples on the Web

Bradač’s work looked at Ramsey numbers, which tell mathematicians exactly how large a graph can become before it’s guaranteed to gain a clique or independent set. — Sam MacDonald, Scientific American, 15 July 2026

The Shards imagines that Ellis’s cool-kid clique — replete with a very ’80s-looking Kaia Gerber — gets upended by the arrival of a new student named Robert. — Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 14 July 2026

But then there was another clique of women's basketball fans that suddenly had a problem with Clark. — Jackson Thompson Outkick, FOXNews.com, 12 July 2026

Since its inception, social media has been a proving ground for tween fashion and identity, offering under-16s a digital canvas to experiment with their style and form online cliques around niche interests. — Sophie Lou Wilson, Vogue, 2 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

French

First Known Use

1711, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for clique

• beak
• beek
• bleak
• cheek
• chic
• creak
• creek
• eke
• freak
• geek
• greek
• leak

Kids Definition

clique

noun

ˈklēk  ˈklik 

: a small group of people who spend time together and are not friendly to other people

cliquey

ˈklē-kē 

ˈkli-

adjective