ENGLISH
REFERENCE

cling

v.
C1 Advanced Oxford US //ˈkɫɪŋ// UK //klˈɪŋ// cling

v. to hold onto something or someone very tightly. You might do this because you are scared, or because you do not want to lose something important.

v. to hold on tightly to a person or object; to remain emotionally or intellectually attached to a belief or hope. Often used to describe physical grip or psychological persistence.


SIMPLE

The child started to cling to his mother's hand in the crowd.

CONTEXTUAL

Despite the changing market, the small business owners continue to cling to their traditional methods.

COMPLEX

As the storm intensified, the survivors had to cling to the wreckage of the ship, hoping for a rescue vessel to appear on the horizon before dawn.

Synonyms
Etymology 1

From Middle English clingen, from Old English clingan (“to adhere”), from Proto-West Germanic klingan, from Proto-Germanic klinganą. Cognate with Danish klynge (“to cluster, to crowd”). Compare clump.

Etymology 2

Imitative; compare clink, clang.

Usage

Intransitive verb; typically requires the preposition 'to' before the object.

Pitfall

she clings her old memoriesshe clings to her old memoriesCling is an intransitive verb and requires the preposition 'to' to connect to an object.

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