: a number of similar things that occur together: such as
a
: two or more consecutive consonants or vowels in a segment of speech
b
: a group of buildings and especially houses built close together on a sizable tract in order to preserve open spaces larger than the individual yard for common recreation
c
: an aggregation of stars or galaxies that appear close together in the sky and are gravitationally associated
the Perseus cluster of galaxies
d
: a larger than expected number of cases of disease (such as leukemia) occurring in a particular locality, group of people, or period of time
e
: a number of computers networked together in order to function as a single computing system
Consisting of groups of inexpensive machines cobbled together, clusters in many ways have supplanted traditional supercomputers.—
Elizabeth K. Wilson
Elizabeth K. Wilson
clustered; clustering
ˈklə-st(ə-)riŋ 
1
: to collect into a cluster
cluster the tents together
2
: to furnish with clusters
the bridge was clustered with men and officers—Herman Wouk
Herman Wouk
: to grow, assemble, or occur in a cluster
they clustered around the fire
Synonyms
Examples of cluster in a Sentence
Noun
a cluster of cottages along the shore
A small cluster of people had gathered at the scene of the accident.
Verb
The children clustered around the storyteller.
the mice clustered together into a small burrow
Recent Examples on the Web
PCMAG, 7 Nov. 2024
Down clusters are three-dimensional spirals, not to be confused with feathers, which are flat, provide no loft, and poke through fabric.
—Marni Jameson, arkansasonline.com, 2 Nov. 2024
Cleo Krejci, Journal Sentinel, 2 Nov. 2024
In the final sprint to election day, campaign food moments on both sides have clustered in the must-win state of Pennsylvania.
—Meghan McCarron, Bon Appétit, 29 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for cluster 
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Noun
Apple’s 14-core M4 Pro CPU cluster was able to fend off the ZBook Fury’s 14th Gen Intel mobile workstation chip’s 24 cores.
—PCMAG, 7 Nov. 2024
Down clusters are three-dimensional spirals, not to be confused with feathers, which are flat, provide no loft, and poke through fabric.
—Marni Jameson, arkansasonline.com, 2 Nov. 2024
Verb
The 13 schools that could close or merge are clustered in a roughly 3-mile square in northwest-central Milwaukee, including neighborhoods like Arlington Heights, Franklin Heights, North Division and Sherman Park.
—Cleo Krejci, Journal Sentinel, 2 Nov. 2024
In the final sprint to election day, campaign food moments on both sides have clustered in the must-win state of Pennsylvania.
—Meghan McCarron, Bon Appétit, 29 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for cluster
Dictionary Entries Near cluster
Cite this Entry
“Cluster.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cluster. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.
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Medical Definition
cluster
noun
clus·ter
ˈkləs-tər
: a larger than expected number of cases of disease (as leukemia) occurring in a particular locality, group of people, or period of time
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