Adjacent Words

Cling definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

CLING, v.i.
1. To adhere closely; to stick to; to hold fast upon, especially by winding round or embracing; as, the tendril of a vine clings to its support.
Two babes of love close clinging to her waist.
2. To adhere closely; to stick to; as a viscous substance.
3. To adhere closely and firmly, in interest or affection; as, men of a party cling to their leader.
CLING, v.t. To dry up, or wither.
Till famine cling thee.
In Saxon, clingan is rendered to fade or wither, marcesco, as well as to cling. In this sense is used forclingan, pp. forclungen. The radical sense then appears to be, to contract or draw together; and drying, withering, is expressed by shrinking.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: fruit (especially peach) whose flesh adheres strongly to the pit [syn: cling, clingstone] v
1: come or be in close contact with; stick or hold together and resist separation; "The dress clings to her body"; "The label stuck to the box"; "The sushi rice grains cohere" [syn: cling, cleave, adhere, stick, cohere]
2: to remain emotionally or intellectually attached; "He clings to the idea that she might still love him."
3: hold on tightly or tenaciously; "hang on to your father's hands"; "The child clung to his mother's apron" [syn: cling, hang]

Merriam Webster's

I. intransitive verb (clung; clinging) Etymology: Middle English, from Old English clingan; akin to Old High German klunga tangled ball of thread Date: before 12th century 1. a. to hold together b. to adhere as if glued firmly c. to hold or hold on tightly or tenaciously 2. a. to have a strong emotional attachment or dependence <he clung to his friends for support> b. to remain or linger as if resisting complete dissipation or dispersal <the odor clung to the room for hours> Synonyms: see stick • clinger noun • clingy adjective II. noun Date: circa 1625 an act or instance of clinging ; adherence

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. & n. --v.intr. (past and past part. clung) 1 (foll. by to) adhere, stick, or hold on (by means of stickiness, suction, grasping, or embracing). 2 (foll. by to) remain persistently or stubbornly faithful (to a friend, habit, idea, etc.). 3 maintain one's grasp; keep hold; resist separation. --n. = CLINGSTONE. Phrases and idioms: cling film a very thin clinging transparent plastic film, used as a covering esp. for food. cling together remain in one body or in contact. Derivatives: clinger n. clingingly adv. Etymology: OE clingan f. Gmc: cf. CLENCH

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Cling Cling (kl[i^]ng), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Clung (kl[u^]ng), Clong (kl[o^]ng), Obs.); p. pr. & vb. n. Clinging.] [AS. clingan to adhere, to wither; akin to Dan. klynge to cluster, crowd. Cf. Clump.] To adhere closely; to stick; to hold fast, especially by twining round or embracing; as, the tendril of a vine clings to its support; -- usually followed by to or together. And what hath life for thee That thou shouldst cling to it thus? --Mrs. Hemans.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Cling Cling, v. t. 1. To cause to adhere to, especially by twining round or embracing. [Obs.] I clung legs as close to his side as I could. --Swift. 2. To make to dry up or wither. [Obs.] If thou speak'st false, Upon the next tree shalt thou hang alive, Till famine cling thee. --Shak.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Cling Cling, n. Adherence; attachment; devotion. [R.] A more tenacious cling to worldly respects. --Milton.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(clings, clinging, clung) 1. If you cling to someone or something, you hold onto them tightly. Another man was rescued as he clung to the riverbank... They hugged each other, clinging together under the lights. VERB: V to/onto n, V together 2. If someone clings to a position or a possession they have, they do everything they can to keep it even though this may be very difficult. He appears determined to cling to power... Another minister clung on with a majority of only 18... Japan's productivity has overtaken America in some industries, but elsewhere the United States has clung on to its lead. VERB: V to/onto n, V on, V on to n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. n. 1. Adhere, stick, cleave, be attached, hold, hold fast. Also fig. 2. Twine round, throw tendrils about. 3. Embrace, clasp.

Moby Thesaurus

accretion, adhere, adhere to, adherence, adhesion, agglomerate, agglomeration, agglutination, attach, bear hug, bite, bond, bunch, cherish, clamp, clasp, cleave, cleave to, clench, clinch, cling to, clinging, clip, clot, clotting, cluster, clustering, clutch, coagulate, coagulation, cohere, coherence, cohesion, cohesiveness, compaction, concretion, condensation, congeal, congealment, congelation, conglobation, conglomerate, conglomeration, consolidation, death grip, embrace, fasten, favor, firm hold, fix, foothold, footing, freeze to, grapple, grasp, grip, gripe, grow together, hang on, hang on to, hang together, hold, hold fast, hold on, hold on to, hold tight, hold together, hug, inseparability, iron grip, junction, keep, keep hold of, mass, never let go, nip, persist, purchase, retain, seizure, set, solidification, solidify, stay, stay put, stick, stick to, stick together, sticking, take hold of, tight grip, toehold