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
Relevance
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
-
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
-
The seasonal cake that had Costco fans across the nation clutching their pearls is back.—
Meghan Overdeep,
Southern Living,
4 Mar. 2026
-
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
-
Bachik shared a post to Instagram first showing Lopez in action onstage, gripping a microphone in a dazzling, very Vegas costume (rhinestones and fishnets and wind machines, oh my).—
Marci Robin,
Allure,
10 Mar. 2026
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On the other hand, his jumpstart of World War III has commenced, causing the stock market to tank, oil prices to go through the roof and a level of anxiety gripping the nation as never before.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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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
-
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
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
-
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
-
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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Inter Miami earned a bye as defending MLS champion.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
10 Mar. 2026
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The defending champions were relentless.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
10 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 12 Mar. 2026.
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