clinging (to)

verb

present participle of cling (to)
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

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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)
  1. standing by
  2. clenching
  3. defending
  4. clutching
  5. gripping
  6. holding
  7. grabbing
Verb
  • Though Hal does walk out, Todd does not, seemingly standing by his wife.
    — Hilary Lewis, HollywoodReporter, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Democrats are more than happy to draw those connections, pummeling their Republican rivals for standing by a president who is unpopular with so many voters.
    — Greg Bluestein, AJC.com, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of standing by
Verb
  • The third sits nearer the ear and detects chewing and teeth clenching.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Years ago, after Jake died, my instinct as a medical student was anger — clenching my teeth and jabbing a pen into my notepad, making a line of inky holes along the margin.
    — Caroline Cherston, STAT, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of clenching
Verb
  • Egypt's president sought to reassure the public that the country wouldn't attack Yemen, and that the military support is limited to defending Saudi territory.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 27 Oct. 2026
  • In a statement, BGE acknowledged the financial pressures customers are facing while defending its proposal.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of defending
Verb
  • The model was escorted off the show’s set while clutching her face.
    — Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Oct. 2026
  • A little boy sitting quietly, clutching a photocopy of his mother’s ID card.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of clutching
Verb
  • And the dynamic in the candidates’ race to capture swing voters reflects the national debate gripping both parties about how moderate to be.
    — Justine McDaniel, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The European Commission Directorate-General for Enlargement and Eastern Neighborhood condemned the violence gripping Albania.
    — Chris Massaro, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of gripping
Verb
  • The video shows four deputies running after Garza along Interstate 10 in Palm Springs, with Garza facing the deputies several times while holding an object in his hands.
    — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Together, the two designs support Hanwha Power’s effort to expand its electric vessel portfolio, with the larger concept now holding ABS Approval in Principle.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of holding
Verb
  • Over recent years, ambitious and headline-grabbing solutions to transportation problems have been unveiled in South Florida, from vertical jet ports to autonomous vehicles.
    — Sofia Zarran, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Bailey kicked off the Lakers’ opening night by matching her powerful voice with an equally attention-grabbing shoe.
    — Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of grabbing
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

clinging
clinging (to)
clings
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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 29 Oct. 2026.

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