1
as in keeping (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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in clenching
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 clinging (to)
Verb
-
In the premiere, Rue and Faye run drugs across the border, clenching their butts to hold bags of fentanyl in their digestive tract for as long as possible.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
13 Apr. 2026 -
Protect against teeth grinding, clenching and enamel damage with custom dental solutions from ClearClub.—
Tory Johnson,
ABC News,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Morales is seen in surveillance video clutching at Pulido’s sweater a couple of times with Pulido brushing his hand away before Morales returns and the beating and kicking commences.—
City News Service,
Oc Register,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Steinem entered the quietly buzzing room wearing all black and clutching a wooden cane painted with blue and pink birds in her right hand.—
Savannah Walsh,
Vanity Fair,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Another, from 2009, is dominated by the profile of what appears to be a guard dog gripping a black hunk of something unidentifiable.—
Ben Davis,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Apr. 2026
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Meanwhile, Nazem Kadri is passing up shots and sometimes looks uncomfortable gripping his stick right now.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Trump is standing by the leadership of the Secret Service and the president personally thinks agents did an excellent job neutralizing the shooter, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a briefing.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2026
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The mom-to-be smiled down at her husband in one photo, and was pictured standing by herself outside in a few others.—
Kayla Grant,
PEOPLE,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Besides holding the other candidates hostage in his attic until after the election, there’s probably nothing that could help him.—
Matt Fleming,
Oc Register,
1 May 2026
-
The offenders then allegedly demanded access to a safe, a computer and accounts holding cryptocurrency.—
Tess Kenny,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
Verb
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There’s also significant doubt among Republicans as to whether DeSantis will even accomplish the goal of grabbing at least four more seats.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
1 May 2026
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The shortage started grabbing headlines early last month.—
Jibin Joseph,
PC Magazine,
1 May 2026
Verb
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Just as significantly, Anunoby spent much of Tuesday night defending Jalen Johnson, the resurgent Hawks’ only All-Star, who finished with a modest 18 points on 7-of-15 shooting.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
29 Apr. 2026
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Then Quentin Davie, the new coach of defending champion Hebron Christian and a close friend, called with an opportunity to join his staff.—
Jack Leo,
AJC.com,
28 Apr. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Clinging (to).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clinging%20%28to%29. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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