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cling (to)

verb

Definition of cling (to)next
1
as in to keep (to)
to give steadfast support to continued to cling to the old ideas of child rearing long after they had gone out of fashion

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to grip
to have or keep in one's hands clung to a pole in the subway car to keep from falling as it lurched along

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cling (to)
  1. defend
  2. grip
  3. hold to
  4. clutch
  5. stand by
  6. clench
  7. hold
  8. grab
Verb
  • Inputs divided by outputs established a unit-cost baseline that CFOs could optimize, benchmark and defend to the board.
    — Hemant Kapadia, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
  • The Late Show’s last hurrah now that CBS has pulled the plug, giving Colbert one last trophy for a show that won’t be around to defend it next year.
    — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of defend
Verb
  • The chaos gripping the court stems from the collapse of Banco Master, a mid-sized bank worth up to $16 billion in assets, which was shut down last November after a sprawling investigation into a fraud scheme involving billions of reais.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Sep. 2026
  • The jaw works quite well, with a stiff hinge and rubberized inner panels for gripping the top of your monitor.
    — Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 13 Sep. 2026
Definition of grip
Verb
  • Reese, Naz Hilman and Madina Okot were held to 28 points combined with Okot scoring 16 – mostly in the fourth quarter.
    — Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 25 June 2026
  • After scoring 14 runs to begin this four-game series, the Royals have been held to just five runs in their last 18 innings.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 25 June 2026
Definition of hold to
Verb
  • Roma took one last lights-and-sirens ride with Keith that day, clutching his son’s red helmet, now soiled by debris.
    — Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Proportion play is also part of the equation, as Gap experiments with Mini sizes meant to be clutched in the palm of your hand or slung over your torso.
    — Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of clutch
Verb
  • He's been there with her, and still stands by her by way of his testimony.
    — Mike Toole, CBS News, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, has stood by the Pennsylvania senator as he's repeatedly clashed with his fellow Democrats on the Iran war and other major issues.
    — Jay Stahl, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of stand by
Verb
  • This can lead women to clench their jaws or pelvic muscles, or grind their teeth.
    — Bella Webb, Vogue, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Years ago, after Jake died, my instinct as a medical student was anger — clenching my teeth and jabbing a pen into my notepad, making a line of inky holes along the margin.
    — Caroline Cherston, STAT, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of clench
Verb
  • Remember that your shotgun cannot be capable of holding more than two cartridges in the magazine, and three total.
    — Bryan Hendricks, Arkansas Online, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Mike Jacobs brought 14 Mercer players to Toledo and held a fourth-quarter lead but lost 30-20 at Michigan State.
    — Manny Navarro, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of hold
Verb
  • Emmys nights one and two saw Widow’s Bay pick up a whopping eight trophies, one short of The Studio’s total of nine last year, and this evening might end with Widow’s Bay grabbing a lot of the same awards The Studio did last year.
    — Vulture Staff, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Researchers have long recognized that humor can grab attention, deepen social connection, and build attraction.
    — Norbert Schwarz, Harvard Business Review, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of grab
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

clings (to)
cling (to)
clingy
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cling (to).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cling%20%28to%29. Accessed 18 Sep. 2026.

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Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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