cling (to)

verb

Definition of cling (to)next
1
as in to keep (to)
to give steadfast support to continued to cling to the old ideas of child rearing long after they had gone out of fashion

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to grip
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 cling (to)
  1. grip
  2. clutch
  3. clench
  4. defend
  5. hold
  6. grab
  7. stand by
Verb
  • An idea may grip you when Venus retrograde aligns with Pluto.
    — USA TODAY, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2025
  • Week in Review Asian equities were mixed for the week as the U.S. recession fears gripped the region.
    — Brendan Ahern, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
Definition of grip
Verb
  • The Cowboys in the past have been known for putting up brutal showings in the biggest moments, so adding someone seemingly clutch like Golden would also make a lot of sense.
    — Mark Davis, Newsweek, 15 Mar. 2025
  • It’s medically clutch to catch a disease like AD early on—immediate medications can slow progression across a patient’s brain.
    — Hilary Tetenbaum, USA TODAY, 13 Mar. 2025
Definition of clutch
Verb
  • After walking out of a prison near Seoul, Yoon waved, clenched his fists and bowed deeply to his supporters who were shouting his name and waving South Korean and U.S. flags.
    — arkansasonline.com, arkansasonline.com, 9 Mar. 2025
  • Yoon was seen on Saturday waving his hand, clenching his fists and bowing to his supporters who were shouting his name and waving South Korean and U.S. national flags.
    — Landon Mion, Fox News, 8 Mar. 2025
Definition of clench
Verb
  • From automating incident response to proactively identifying threats and strengthening identity and access controls, AI enables organizations to defend against evolving risks with greater speed, efficiency and accuracy.
    — Kathleen Walch, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2025
  • Providence stoked to defend Class 4A state title, but Lincoln-Way West also will contend.
    — Steve Millar, Chicago Tribune, 16 Mar. 2025
Definition of defend
Verb
  • Despite entering the final round four shots back, McIlroy held a commanding three-shot lead on the back nine.
    — Mark Davis, Newsweek, 17 Mar. 2025
  • Linda May at Carolwood Estates holds the listing with Aaron Kirman of Christie’s International.
    — Tori Latham, Robb Report, 17 Mar. 2025
Definition of hold
Verb
  • He’s minimized the walks, partly due to his willingness to use his curveball early in counts for strikes to get ahead and grab count leverage.
    — Fabian Ardaya, The Athletic, 14 Mar. 2025
  • To help balance his budget, the governor wants to grab roughly $300 million from the $10 billion climate bond approved overwhelmingly by voters in November.
    — George Skelton, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2025
Definition of grab
Verb
  • Tallulah paid tribute to Willis in an emotional Instagram post, which featured a photo of the father-daughter pair standing by side by side.
    — Edward Segarra, USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2025
  • As the parents described standing by their choice not to vaccinate, photos of one child, who had to be medevaced to a Lubbock hospital, filled the screen.
    — Brandy Zadrozny, NBC News, 20 Mar. 2025
Definition of stand by
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.

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cling (to)
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Cite this Entry

“Cling (to).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cling%20%28to%29. Accessed 26 Mar. 2025.

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