clinging (to)

verb

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in clenching
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 clinging (to)
  1. standing by
  2. clenching
  3. defending
  4. clutching
  5. gripping
  6. holding
  7. grabbing
Verb
  • Florida’s wildlife agency is standing by its use of a criminal-investigation database to look up personal information on activists who criticized its policies.
    — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 25 July 2026
  • The Catholic school is standing by its decision, saying the change followed a thorough review and was approved by both Jesuits West and the Diocese of Sacramento.
    — Chaewon Chung July 24, Sacbee.com, 24 July 2026
Definition of standing by
Verb
  • Janet held the phone away from her ear, clenching her teeth against Maggie’s booming voice.
    — Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 23 July 2026
  • His workouts, jaw-clenching pull-ups and all, regularly appear on social media.
    — Missy Ryan, The Atlantic, 22 July 2026
Definition of clenching
Verb
  • Reports of a Funding Shortfall After months of silence, Romanian media reported in June that the Romanian state did not have sufficient funds to proceed with defending Barbosu's case at CAS.
    — Caroline Price, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
  • The case has drawn political reactions from across the spectrum, with opposition politicians demanding full accountability and members of the governing coalition defending the officers involved.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 21 July 2026
Definition of defending
Verb
  • Just picture wearing this manicure while clutching an Aperol spritz on a winding cobblestone street!
    — Daisy Maldonado, InStyle, 16 July 2026
  • Carney's grieving sister, Devon, wearing a Kerry GAA jersey and clutching a sunflower, was distraught as family members gathered around the hearse.
    — Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 15 July 2026
Definition of clutching
Verb
  • Some can still be serviced by gripping a strong structural feature.
    — Wanjiku Chebet Kanjumba, The Conversation, 22 July 2026
  • And while Shakira drew big cheers, as did the appearance of Bieber, these paled in comparison to the cheers and oh’s and ah’s in the crowd throughout the gripping final.
    — Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 19 July 2026
Definition of gripping
Verb
  • Trainees can practice their aim and stance, and holding and firing a handgun are naturally part of it.
    — Shannon Tyler, Idaho Statesman, 25 July 2026
  • The 30-minute video posted by Pfister of the Zimmerman’s Meat Market incident from earlier this year shows him, his wife, Pam, and another man holding their cameras to the deli’s front window, capturing what was visible inside.
    — Kyung Lah, CNN Money, 25 July 2026
Definition of holding
Verb
  • Lester, in particular, saw enough growth from Brown and Hecklinski as Gronowski’s understudies to prefer their full-scale competition over grabbing an experienced quarterback but dialing down the offense.
    — Scott Dochterman, New York Times, 24 July 2026
  • One of the Palestinians can be seen grabbing the strap of the weapon.
    — Abeer Salman, CNN Money, 24 July 2026
Definition of grabbing
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.

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clinging
clinging (to)
clings
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Cite this Entry

“Clinging (to).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clinging%20%28to%29. Accessed 30 Jul. 2026.

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Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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