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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As Joachim Trier stood on the Dolby Theatre stage, clutching Norway’s first Academy Award, the moment marked the culmination of a decades-long national project — built patiently, deliberately and with oil money turned into cultural capital.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Mar. 2026
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There was a scary moment in the second half when the Knights' John Bol fell to the floo r clutching his chest.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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After the brief hiatus that allowed Bayer Leverkusen to win the Bundesliga title, Bayern’s traditional dominance is gripping Germany again and in that climate, their attacking players are liable to post exceptionally good stats — but Olise’s data is off the charts.—
The Athletic UK Staff,
New York Times,
17 Mar. 2026
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Fans were gripping fences all Sunday morning as the sounds of racecars serenaded the tens of thousands who flocked to IndyCar’s inaugural Java House Grand Prix of Arlington.—
Lawrence Dow,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The South, which remains technically at war — the 1950-1953 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty — with the North, isn’t standing by.—
Karishma Vaswani,
Twin Cities,
15 Mar. 2026
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Then, at some point in the past week, Collegiate Consulting deleted the post standing by those figures.—
Michael McGough,
Sacbee.com,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Both defenses did a good job, holding the game scoreless through 60 minutes.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
21 Mar. 2026
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The Tigers had their moments, holding leads both early and late — and fans were certainly excited throughout.—
Dominick Williams,
Kansas City Star,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Mark was fouled after grabbing the ensuing loose ball and made both free throws to ice the game, 77-71.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
20 Mar. 2026
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The video, filmed by Mortensen, appears to show Paul hitting, grabbing and throwing three barstools at him.—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Venezuela’s bullpen, which was dominant in its quarterfinal upset over defending champion Japan on Saturday and its semifinal win against tournament darling Italy on Monday, picked up where Rodriguez left off.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
18 Mar. 2026
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Venezuela overcame a 2-0, fourth-inning deficit after rebounding from a three-run hole to beat defending champion Japan in a quarterfinal and reached the final for the first time after losing to South Korea in its only previous semifinal appearance in 2009.—
Ronald Blum,
Chicago Tribune,
17 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 22 Mar. 2026.
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