# cling

Pronunciation: US say "KLING" /ˈklɪŋ/; UK

## Verb

1. To hold something very tightly, especially so as not to fall off.
   - Simple: To hold on to something very tightly so that you do not fall off or let go.
   - _The climber clung to the narrow ledge until help arrived._
   - _Sailors cling to the rigging when the sea gets rough._
2. To adhere closely to a surface without being fastened to it, following its contours; used especially of fabrics and films.
   - Simple: To stick close to something and follow its shape, without any glue, the way wet cloth or plastic wrap does.
   - _The silk dress clung to her figure as she walked._
   - _A rubbed balloon will cling to the wall for several minutes._
3. To feel strong affection for and emotional dependence on someone or something.
   - Simple: To love or need someone or something so much that you cannot let go.
   - _Long after the divorce, she clung to the memory of happier years._
   - _Voters often cling to the parties their parents supported._
4. To make something adhere closely to something else, especially by twining it around or embracing it.
   - Simple: To make something hold tightly to another thing, often by wrapping it around or hugging.
8. To give off a high-pitched ringing sound, like that of a small bell.
   - Simple: To make a high, light ringing sound, like a small bell.
   - _Wind chimes cling softly on the porch all afternoon._
   - _The oven timer clings when the cookies are done._
10. To dry up or wither.
   - Simple: To dry up and waste away, like a plant without water.
11. To cause something to dry up or wither.
   - Simple: To make something dry up and waste away.

## Noun

5. The quality of adhering or holding on closely; emotional attachment or devotion.
   - Simple: A tight hold on something, or a strong feeling of love and need.
   - _The cling of damp leaves to the windshield slowed his drive to work._
   - _Critics noted the author's stubborn cling to outdated literary forms._
6. Fruit, especially the peach, whose flesh adheres strongly to the pit instead of separating from it.
   - Simple: A peach or similar fruit whose soft inside sticks tightly to the seed.
   - _California growers raise cling almost exclusively for the canneries._
   - _Cling peaches keep their shape in syrup better than freestone varieties._
7. A decorative item that sticks to window glass without adhesive, positioned to be seen from outside.
   - Simple: A thin picture or shape that sticks to a window without glue so people outside can see it.
   - _A pumpkin cling decorated the classroom window every October._
   - _Shops along Main Street advertise with vinyl clings facing the sidewalk._

## Interjection

9. Used to represent a high-pitched ringing sound, such as that made by a small bell.
   - Simple: A sound you say or write to copy the high ring of a small bell.
   - _Cling! The bell over the door announced another customer._
   - _Cling, cling went the spoon against the glass as he called for a toast._

## Origin

**Meanings 1–7, 10–11** — From Middle English clingen, from Old English clingan ("to adhere"), from Proto-West Germanic *klingan and Proto-Germanic *klinganą. It is related to Danish klynge ("to cluster, to crowd").
**Meanings 8–9** — Imitative in origin; compare clink and clang.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/cling (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).