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)
Verb
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The Marswalker has rugged wheels in each corner for gripping the steps, as well as a long antenna to sense angles and heights.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
6 Sep. 2025 -
The need for such shelters came into sharp focus in January 2025, when prolonged periods of frigid winter weather gripped Louisville.—
Killian Baarlaer,
The Courier-Journal,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Majchrzak took off his cap and appeared to pass it to the boy who was clutching a giant tennis ball with both hands.—
Ben Morse,
CNN Money,
2 Sep. 2025
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After Carpenter debuted the cover for her seventh studio album in June, some critiqued the image, which depicts the singer on her knees in a black dress as a man stands out-of-shot, clutching onto her hair.—
McKinley Franklin,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
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With his jaw clenched and sights set on being the next James Bond, Aaron Taylor-Johnson plays Major Will Tranter, a bomb disposal pro who’s both an ace sniper and a bit of a loose cannon, breaking protocol in his obsessive attempt to deactivate the vintage ordnance with minimal casualties.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
6 Sep. 2025
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With every stride, the leader breathes into the whistle clenched between his lips, producing a noise like the courting sigh of some prairie bird.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
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But the way Herbert flashed early in his career, tossing seven touchdown passes and only one interception in a 2021 season sweep of the defending AFC champion Chiefs, had come to feel like a tease.—
Mike Sando,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
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Responding to Joe Starnes, a Democratic congressman from Alabama, Flanagan proved to be a tough witness and defended the project as being a cure for American inactivity.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Namajunas held onto the belt in the rematch in November 2021, defeating Zhang via split decision.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
4 Sep. 2025
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For investment firms of the ultra wealthy, deal-making held steady in August.—
Hayley Cuccinello,
CNBC,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Video surveillance from the scene posted online by Fox 11 shows a man lingering near a doorway, quickly grabbing the gift box from a table and running out of the venue.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA Today,
9 Sep. 2025
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The owner wanted to keep the grab-and-go options previously offered in the space.—
La Risa R. Lynch,
jsonline.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Since playing Enid—who fiercely stands by roommate Wednesday Addams (played by Jenna Ortega) throughout the first two seasons of the Netflix show streaming now—Myers has garnered more than 10 million Instagram followers.—
Hedy Phillips,
PEOPLE,
4 Sep. 2025
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But creatine is standing by the ready, having stored up phosphates for just this occasion.—
Matt Fuchs,
Time,
2 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Cling (to).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cling%20%28to%29. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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