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
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Videos circulating on social media over the weekend showed residents confronting military personnel, accusing them of standing by while civilians carried out rescue operations with little official assistance.
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Kroger Kroger shares are off more than 7% in 2026, but analyst Robert Ohmes is standing by the grocery chain.
Verb
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While not everyone experiences such dramatic effects, experts say stress, clenching and even past trauma can contribute to TMJ issues.
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The Beloved, his first film in Competition at Cannes, is an incredible achievement that builds on all those films and leaves them standing in the dust, hitting all the same tense throat-clenching beats but somehow transcending genre altogether.
Verb
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When Argentina picked Kansas City for its base camp, the defending World Cup champions chose to train at Sporting KC’s Compass Minerals National Performance Center and reside at the Origin Hotel.
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Key Background Republicans will be defending slim majorities in both chambers of Congress come November.
Verb
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People milled about clutching small rainbow flags from the human rights organization Outright International.
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The hosts discuss Sorsby as a product of both his own mistakes and opportunistic pearl clutching among college sports leaders.
Verb
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The body politic wages war against itself in Shakespeare’s tragedy, and the all-out battle makes for a gripping spectacle in Griffith Park.
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Flipping through a binder in one hand and gripping her laptop in the other, Washington simultaneously got down to business for leg day.
Verb
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The surprise delivery of the banner came in response to the national team’s gratitude after holding several practices at KU’s Rock Chalk Park during its June 8-30 stay.
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Burial postponed due to war Burials are meant to be conducted within a day of death in Islam, but because of the risks of holding a big funeral during the war it was postponed until after last month's interim truce deal was agreed.
Verb
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Americans are grabbing their passports and fleeing the country in hopes of leaving the nation’s problems behind.
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Swanson argues those behind-the-scenes improvements have done more to modernize logistics than many of the industry’s headline-grabbing automation projects.
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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 7 Jul. 2026.
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