cling
verb · noun
Simple meaning
Hold on tightly or tenaciously.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
klingIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈklɪŋ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
Hold on tightly or tenaciously
To hold very tightly, as to not fall off.
transitive
To cause to adhere to, especially by twining round or embracing.
To adhere to an object, without being affixed, in such a way as to follow its contours. Used especially of fabrics and films.
figurativewith preposition to
To be fond of, to feel strongly about and dependent on.
transitive
To cause to dry up or wither.
noun
Adherence; attachment; devotion.
Fruit (especially peach) whose flesh adheres strongly to the pit
An ornament that clings to a window so as to be seen from outside.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Primarily written
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Hold on tightly or tenaciously
Used this way, cling is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use cling
- “The dress clings to her body.”verb
- “He clings to the idea that she might still love him.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Hold
Cause
Come
Other combinations
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Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A thin plastic film made of saran (trade name Saran Wrap) that sticks to itself.
Hold firmly, usually with one's hands.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.