cliques

noun

plural of clique
as in networks
a group of people sharing a common interest and relating together socially that clique refuses to even talk to outsiders at their lunch table

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of cliques Since its inception, social media has been a proving ground for tween fashion and identity, offering under-16s a digital canvas to experiment with their style and form online cliques around niche interests. — Sophie Lou Wilson, Vogue, 2 July 2026 Ramsey numbers for same-size red and blue cliques are called diagonal Ramsey numbers. — Leila Sloman, Quanta Magazine, 26 June 2026 Under Meza, player cliques developed, stars were pampered, discipline waned. — Scott M. Reid, Oc Register, 10 June 2026 Prosecutors said the killings were tied to Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, a transnational gang that maintains a presence in Los Angeles through smaller groups, or cliques, including in the San Fernando Valley and around MacArthur Park. — Sydney Barragan, Daily News, 6 June 2026 What began as a search for community and understanding turned into an experience that felt akin to the cliques and social hierarchies of high school. — Hannah Nwoko, Parents, 6 June 2026 Tuchel does not want dressing-room cliques and has put a premium on having a unified group pulling in the same direction. — Dan Sheldon, New York Times, 23 May 2026 In this milieu, Hollywood A-listers like Will Ferrell and Sharon Stone, who occupy separate cliques nearby, pale in comparison to the mingling artistic luminaries. — Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026 Neither wants to navigate the cliques and social politics of this messy consolidated school. — Literary Hub, 14 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cliques
  1. networks
  2. communities
  3. circles
  4. crowds
  5. gangs
  6. packs
  7. clans
  8. covens
Noun
  • Disney Channel Kids The tween audience of the early aughts had multiple networks catering to them, and Disney Channel’s musical ascent was just beginning.
    — Allison McClain Merrill, Parents, 5 July 2026
  • Their assets, systems and networks are considered so essential that their disruption would have a debilitating impact on national security, public safety or the economy.
    — Emil Sayegh, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026
Definition of networks
Noun
  • Bass said that the Lineage crisis is an environmental justice issue and highlights the health risks communities of color are disproportionately exposed to.
    — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026
  • In recent years, major museums, including the American Museum of Natural History, the Penn Museum, and the Met, have removed human remains from exhibition or returned them to descendant communities.
    — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 9 July 2026
Definition of communities
Noun
  • As darkness settled over Washington Square Park, supporters formed circles, waved Ghanaian flags and continued singing Jama into the evening.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 3 July 2026
  • Along the way, planners often become favorites within certain circles.
    — Shelby Wax, Vogue, 3 July 2026
Definition of circles
Noun
  • Fourth of July celebrations in Newport Beach, California, a coastal city in Orange County, led to over 400 arrests after large crowds became disorderly, according to police.
    — Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 7 July 2026
  • Iran’s semi-official Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA) wrote about the 1989 funeral earlier this week, describing how the enormous crowds exceeded the numbers expected by authorities.
    — Xiaoqian Lin, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
Definition of crowds
Noun
  • Both gangs are based in San Francisco, and the rivalry has been linked to several other killings around the Bay Area, according to police.
    — Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 10 July 2026
  • The politician started the team as a positive force for school-age kids, to keep kids in school, off drugs and out of gangs through athletic acrobatic practice and performance.
    — Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 10 July 2026
Definition of gangs
Noun
  • Its thin, lightweight design packs built-in GPS, over 40 active tracking modes, 24/7 heart rate monitoring, and a six-day battery.
    — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 10 July 2026
  • Things such as clothing and cosmetics, voice packs and, perhaps most excitingly, stash upgrades can all be purchased by using TarCoins.
    — Mike Stubbs, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
Definition of packs
Noun
  • The Richards family is one of America’s richest clans, thanks to its electrical manufacturing company Southwire.
    — Simone Melvin, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026
  • Warrior Cats is based on Erin Hunter’s feline book series that follows the adventures and drama of multiple clans of feral cats.
    — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 18 June 2026
Definition of clans
Noun
  • Season 2 sees Louis and Claudia in Europe — just in time for World War II — and both novel and show expand outward to include things like vampire covens and AMC tie-in series to the further reaches of Rice’s lore.
    — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 6 June 2026
  • The Last Witch Hunter, about the one man who stands between humanity and the most horrible witch covens imaginable, grossed $130 million at the worldwide box office at the time of its initial theatrical release in 2015.
    — Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 8 Sep. 2025
Definition of covens

Browse Nearby Words

clique
cliques
cliquey
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Cite this Entry

“Cliques.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cliques. Accessed 13 Jul. 2026.

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