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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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)
Verb
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Image Neither declines in border crossings or fentanyl overdoses could much make a difference if Mr. Trump chooses to focus on the cartel bloodshed gripping large parts of Mexico as justification for imposing tariffs on its exports.—
Simon Romero,
New York Times,
20 Jan. 2025 -
With a frigid polar vortex set to grip huge swaths of the U.S. in the coming days, the city could see anywhere between 3 and 5 inches of snow before the quick-moving but significant storm breaks up in the early hours of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
18 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Swift also wore the look with Chloé’s Eve thigh-high boots and Jimmy Choo’s diamond frame clutch.—
Marissa Muller,
WWD,
18 Jan. 2025
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Soon, O’Donoghue clutches his heart, gasps, and falls to the floor.—
Susan Morrison,
The New Yorker,
13 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Certainly any commuter clenching his or her teeth traveling on Highway 101 through Silicon Valley or agonizing along the 405 Freeway in Los Angeles won’t complain the state has too few occupants.—
Mark Z. Barabak,
The Mercury News,
21 Jan. 2025
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The case started in 2020 when King’s campaign committee posted a version of the meme of Griner’s son, an 11-month-old with a determined look on his face, clenching a fistful of sand.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA TODAY,
21 Jan. 2025
Verb
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When one poster on the Overton, TX Citizens Forum Facebook page reported in early January that the rooster tried to attack her husband outside the store, people were quick to defend Ol’ Red’s character.—
Rhiannon Saegert,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 Jan. 2025
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At his confirmation hearing, senators will ask him to defend that dangerous, alternative reality.—
Benjamin Mazer,
The Atlantic,
27 Jan. 2025
Verb
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She’s currently being held without bail at the Lawrence County Jail.—
Theresa Braine,
New York Daily News,
29 Jan. 2025
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His wife, Estefania McDonald Rodriguez, frequently documented their luxurious trip on social media, showing them beneath the Eiffel Tower in Paris, sunbathing on beaches, holding two parrots, and even seated before Rome’s famed Trevi Fountain.—
Amber Corrine,
VIBE.com,
28 Jan. 2025
Verb
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In the hills of the Palisades, near the Temescal Ridge Trail, Alex Emerick, 34, his younger sister, Rainier, and their parents grabbed garden hoses at their home of 33 years.—
Laura J. Nelson,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Jan. 2025
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The witness jumped in to assist and grab the knife, cutting himself in the process.—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
25 Jan. 2025
Verb
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There’s no taming this monster who now stands where a husband and father once stood; his family can only stand by and witness him fall apart and eventually beg for death.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
15 Jan. 2025
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Internationally, Israel's staunchest allies have largely stood by it during its war in Gaza, but that support has been coupled with the strongest criticism in a generation and widespread calls for a ceasefire from the United States and others.—
Keir Simmons,
NBC News,
15 Jan. 2025
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Thesaurus Entries Near cling (to)
Cite this Entry
“Cling (to).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cling%20%28to%29. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.
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