CLINGING (TO) Synonyms: 119 Similar and Opposite Words

clinging (to)

verb

present participle of cling (to)

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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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

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for clinging (to)

Verb

Ochoa was known to flaunt his success on social media, including posts of him riding jet skis and standing by his black Corvette.

— Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
On social media, months of public posts by Richardson showed that Rudder had been standing by as Richardson coached his teams, sometimes literally.

— Molly Hensley-Clancy, ProPublica, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of standing by

Verb

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
Janet held the phone away from her ear, clenching her teeth against Maggie’s booming voice.

— Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 23 July 2026

Definition of clenching

Verb

Hochul has made that argument in defending New York’s law, saying local officers should remain focused on investigating crimes rather than using state and local resources to perform ICE’s work.

— María Luisa Paúl, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026
But by defending in this way, Chelsea are giving smart opponents the advantage in the battle for possession.

— Jon Mackenzie, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of defending

Verb

Garcia lends the whole song theater-kid interpretation, essentially acting out the lyrics in pantomime, grasping out in front of her, clutching her face.

— Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 25 Aug. 2026
Austin appeared to be clutching at his right knee while on the ground, clearly in a lot of pain.

— Dan Duggan, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of clutching

Verb

The case has become a national cultural fixation and a social media spectacle, gripping and dividing spectators well beyond the Massachusetts courtroom where the 36-year-old mother is charged with killing her three young children.

— Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 29 Aug. 2026
Fundamentals like gripping the football properly to prevent fumbles, or tackling and lowering your hips to wrap up and drive a player rather than using shoulder pads or lowering the head, which put players at risk for neck and head injuries.

— Ethan Hanson, Daily News, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of gripping

Verb

Brown’s ability to hammer Husted on this issue is alarming Republican operatives, who see a Husted victory as crucial to holding a majority in the Senate.

— Dan Kaufman, New Yorker, 28 Aug. 2026
The Ross Fire burning west of Fort Worth in Palo Pinto County appears to be holding steady at around 85,000 acres and 26% containment Friday, according to Texas A&M Forest Service officials.

— Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of holding

Verb

Two men bought tickets to enter Vienna's Museum of Applied Arts (MAK) before smashing a display case, grabbing a 200-carat platinum and diamond necklace and walking away, police said Friday.

— CBS News, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026
In the commercial, Good Good co-founder Garrett Clark rushes over to his golf bag and pushes over golfer Alexis Miestowski to keep her from grabbing the Quantum Driver.

— Andrew Greif, NBC news, 27 Aug. 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.

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clinging

clinging (to)

clings

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“Clinging (to).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clinging%20%28to%29. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of clinging (to)

verb

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