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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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)
Verb
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Melvin Council stood amid a crowd of his Kansas teammates, clenching a black belt in his fist.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
25 Jan. 2026 -
Wole faced fixedly forward, both fists clenching the steering wheel.—
David Wright Faladé,
New Yorker,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The seasonal cake that had Costco fans across the nation clutching their pearls is back.—
Meghan Overdeep,
Southern Living,
4 Mar. 2026
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The mistake was dragging it out for years, stubbornly clutching a depreciating asset while better offers came and went.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Iran’s decision to expands its attacks to major regional oil infrastructure adds a new element to the war gripping the Middle East, directly targeting the lifeblood of the area’s economy.—
Jon Gambrell,
Fortune,
2 Mar. 2026
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Alongside more standard dramatic fare like Chloé Zhao’s weepy Shakespeare film Hamnet and the quietly powerful adaptation of Denis Johnson’s novella Train Dreams, the list also includes Paul Thomas Anderson’s gripping political thriller One Battle After Another.—
Meg Walters,
Glamour,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Chicago Fire Department Deputy District Chief Jason Lach said members of the CFD dive team would be standing by the whole time in dry suits with extra thermal layers.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
1 Mar. 2026
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But the oil market is not as fragile as the headlines suggest, and OPEC+ is not standing by while the world burns.—
Wael Mahdi,
semafor.com,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The original features a man holding architectural drawings with the urban landscape in the background.—
Noelle Alviz-Gransee
March 6,
Kansas City Star,
6 Mar. 2026
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Tender’s assets Tender CEO Whitney Halberstram (Max Minghella) engineers the downfall of co-founder Jonah Atterbury (Kal Penn) and eventually leaves Henry holding the bag for the company’s fraud.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Wembanyama had back-to-back dunks in the second quarter, including grabbing his own miss and throwing it down for what became a three-point play on a foul by Javonte Green.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
6 Mar. 2026
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Brigham is also charged with assaulting a man by grabbing and twisting his genitals.—
Julia Coin,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Celtics went cold as the half wound down, scoring just five points in the final six minutes, and had trouble defending the full-speed Antetokounmpo drives that made up most of Milwaukee’s offense.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
3 Mar. 2026
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Comedian Funches spent numerous episodes defending his honor as a faithful, as the other players nit-picked his actions and reserved demeanor.—
Tiney Ricciardi,
Denver Post,
3 Mar. 2026
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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 8 Mar. 2026.
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