cling

[US]/klɪŋ/
[UK]/klɪŋ/
Frequency: Very High

Translation

vi. to adhere closely; to stick or hold on tightly; to remain persistently

Phrases & Collocations

cling to

clingy behavior

cling film

cling wrap

clingstone fruit

cling to memories

clingy clothes

Example Sentences

the fish cling to the line of the weed.

cling to one's own view.

cling to the last hope

Wet clothes cling to the body.

guest houses seem to cling by blind faith to the perpendicular hillside.

The British prime minister is too apt to cling to Washington’s apron strings.

clung to the rope to keep from falling; fabrics that cling to the body.

Members of a family should cling together in times of trouble.

Whenever we move to a new house, we always cling to far too many possessions.

I had to cling tight to the backstay, and the world turned giddily before my eyes;

Though it is depressingly rare for the underdog to win in the real world, I'd like to cling to the idea that when they do, they have something special to offer that the overdog does not.

attempting, on May 18th, to cling to his canopied chair, he seemed mumblingly ignorant of the procedures he is supposed to oversee.

Real-world Examples

A handful must have clung on through the big freeze.

Source: Earth's Complete Record

The two friends cling together wherever they go.

Source: Liu Yi's breakthrough of 5000 English vocabulary words.

She clung to him like a shadow.

Source: Gone with the Wind

In this metaphor they can cling onto the lifeboats.

Source: 6 Minute English

Here a male is clinging to the back of a female.

Source: Insect Kingdom Season 2 (Original Soundtrack Version)

Plus, we got those little sheets that smell nice and fight static cling.

Source: Young Sheldon - Season 2

And there was usually a tin can with food still clinging to the inside.

Source: Charlotte's Web

That's because I-I was just grabbing some things out of the dryer, and it's static cling.

Source: Friends Season 03

The children cling to their father for more pocket money.

Source: New Concept English: Vocabulary On-the-Go, Book Three.

Cling to them as you would cling to your life, for without them, life is meaningless.

Source: "Beautiful Mind Morning Reading" Beautiful Prose

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