cling

C1 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ˈklɪŋ/ See IPA manual

Freq #12139

Meanings

1

verb
To hold on to something very tightly.

The child clung to her mother's hand in the crowd.
2

verb
To stick closely to a surface.

The wet shirt clung to his back.
3

verb
To stay emotionally attached to something and refuse to let go.

They cling to the hope that he will return.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Multiword verbs with cling

cling to Prepositional verb C1

to hold something tightly and refuse or struggle to let go

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to hold on to something... clasp clutch

2 verb · to stick closely to a surface. adhere stick

Word family

Forms clingingclingsclung

Derived forms anticlingcling-wrapclingerclingfilmclingfishclingsomeclingstoneclingwrapclingynonclinguncling

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

cling to
to hold something tightly and refuse or struggle to let go

Verb + preposition/particle

Proverbs (1)

See all

Like will to like
Matching variant: Like clings to like

Etymology

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.

clingen Middle English clingan Old English *klingan Proto-West Germanic *klinganą Proto-Germanic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# cling

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈklɪŋ/
**Frequency rank:** 12139

## Meanings
1. To hold on to something very tightly.
2. To stick closely to a surface.
3. To stay emotionally attached to something and refuse to let go.

## Examples
- The child clung to her mother's hand in the crowd.
- The wet shirt clung to his back.
- They cling to the hope that he will return.

## Derived Forms
- anticling
- cling-wrap
- clinger
- clingfilm
- clingfish
- clingsome
- clingstone
- clingwrap
- clingy
- noncling
- uncling

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: clingen
- Root: clingan
- Root: *klingan
- Root: *klinganą

## Etymology
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.

## AI Etymology
Cling is 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. Important recorded forms include clingen (Middle English), clingan (Old English), *klingan (Proto-West Germanic), and *klinganą (Proto-Germanic). Current senses include to hold on to something very tightly, to stick closely to a surface, and to stay emotionally attached to something and refuse to let go. The wider family includes derived forms such as anticling, cling-wrap, clinger, clingfilm, and clingfish.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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