CLINGING (TO) Synonyms: 119 Similar and Opposite Words

clinging (to)

verb

present participle of cling (to)

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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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

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for clinging (to)

Verb

Johnson handed the unconscious dog to the team standing by with an animal oxygen mask.

— Rina Nakano, CBS News, 15 Sep. 2026
Video captured from the drone’s perspective and released on Facebook, shows the frustrated bobcat standing by a staircase, growling and arching its back at the hovering machine.

— Mack DeGeurin, Popular Science, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of standing by

Verb

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
Janet held the phone away from her ear, clenching her teeth against Maggie’s booming voice.

— Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 23 July 2026

Definition of clenching

Verb

Republicans can lose no more than three seats this cycle and are defending more than half a dozen in battleground states.

— David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 30 Sep. 2026
An official of Congo's ruling party UDPS, Marie-Célestin Karondwa, was attacked by unknown suspects Sunday for defending the government's measures against Ebola on a radio program and was in critical condition, according to the UDPS.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of defending

Verb

Hall came to our interview clutching receipts in the shape of two new labels led by the producers behind Strike and The Detection Club, along with early-stage plans for a label that will focus on digital spin-offs of existing brands.

— Max Goldbart, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2026
Slowly, the giant claw, still clutching the sparrow, sank into the river, the tips of its pincers slipping beneath the surface with a plop.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of clutching

Verb

What happened—which can be reconstructed from messages that the agents sent one another and from traces of their own internal reasoning, known as chain-of-thought records—makes for gripping reading.

— Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026
Each chapter of her life delivers gripping scenes with twists and turns, accomplishments and setbacks.

— Chris John Amorosino, Hartford Courant, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of gripping

Verb

Some Utah Valley officials expressed reservations about holding the event in an outdoor space with tall buildings around, but ultimately allowed the event to proceed.

— MICHAEL R. SISAK, Arkansas Online, 26 Sep. 2026
Some university officials expressed reservations about holding the event in an outdoor space with tall buildings around, but ultimately allowed the event to proceed.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of holding

Verb

Michael the Lawyer and Ben the Barrel Racer go into the third crypt (Alan calls them gay Lara Crofts) and have the option of grabbing $15,000 in gold or $5,000 and a clue about the Traitors.

— Alice Burton, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2026
Smith’s own reflection points to why the day-to-day matters more than any headline-grabbing cleanse.

— Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 25 Sep. 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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“Clinging (to).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clinging%20%28to%29. Accessed 1 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of clinging (to)

verb

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