cling

noun

1. 1

   Fruit (especially peach) whose flesh adheres strongly to the pit.

   Antelope steaks and fried liver to begin on, and venison cutlets with chili con carne and pineapple fritters, and then some sardines and mixed pickles; and top it off with a can of yellow clings and a bottle of beer.

2. 2

   Adherence; attachment; devotion.

   a more tenacious cling to worldly reſpects,

3. 3

   An ornament that clings to a window so as to be seen from outside.

   You can make window clings by using thin transparency sheets, school glue, food coloring, and templates.

verb

1. 1

   To hold very tightly, as to not fall off.

   Seaweed clung to the anchor.

   And what hath life for thee / That thou shouldst cling to it thus?

   Third-class carriages are grossly overcrowded, with passengers lying on the luggage racks, standing between the benches, and occasionally even riding on the footboards and clinging to the outsides of the coaches for short distances.

   2017, Jennifer S. Holland, For These Monkeys, It’s a Fight for Survival., National Geographic (March 2017)http://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2017/03/macaques-monkeys-indonesia-endangered-pet-trade/ Cartoonish, wide-eyed infants cling to their mothers or play together low to the ground.

2. 2

   To adhere to an object, without being affixed, in such a way as to follow its contours. Used especially of fabrics and films.

3. 3

   To cause to adhere to, especially by twining round or embracing.

   I[…] clung my legs as close to his sides as I could.

4. 4

   To cause to dry up or wither.

   If thou speak'st false, / Upon the next tree shalt thou hang alive, / Till famine cling thee.

5. 5

   To dry up or wither.

   Wood clings.

6. 6

   figurativeTo be fond of, to feel strongly about and dependent on.

verb

1. 1

   To produce a high-pitched ringing sound, like a small bell.

   The tiny chimes clinged the hours and quarters against his right and Kate's left ear. They counted nine and three-quarters.

   The latter, armed with the most famous tool of their trade — tiny clinging bells — created a small band of untrained orchestra giving their part of the market a festive outlook […]

interjection

1. 1

   Imitative of a high-pitched ringing sound.

Forms

plural

clings

past tense

clung, clinged, clong

past participle

clung, clinged, clong

present participle

clinging

third person singular

clings