cling to

1 to give steadfast support to continued to cling to the old ideas of child rearing long after they had gone out of fashion Synonyms adhere (to), hew (to), keep (to), stand by, stick (to or with)Related Words cleave (to); advocate, back, champion, confirm, defend, endorse (also indorse), espouse, support, uphold; accept, adopt, cherish, cultivate, embrace, follow, foster, heed; backstop, bolster, boost, buttress, enforce, reinforce (also reenforce)Near Antonyms abandon, abnegate, desert, forsake, give up, relinquish, spurn, surrender; abjure, recall, recant, reconsider, renege, renounce, retract, revoke, take back, unsay, withdraw; controvert, disagree (with), disprove, dispute, rebut, refute; contradict, deny, disavow, disclaim, disown, gainsay, negate, negative, repudiate; back down, back off, backtrackAntonyms defect (from)

2 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 clench, hold (to), clutch, gripRelated Words bear, carry; bag, capture, catch, collar, corral, grab, grapple, hook, land, latch (on or onto), nab, nail, seize, snap (up), snare, snatch, take, trap; feel, finger, handle, paw; clasp, embrace, grasp, hug; cradleNear Antonyms drop, give, hand, unclasp, unhand; cede, deliver, give up, hand out, hand over, release, relinquish, render, turn over, yield