verb
1 hold tightly
ADVERB
▪ closely , firmly , tightly
▪
I clung closely to my mother's arm.
▪ desperately , fiercely , helplessly
▪
She clung fiercely to him.
▪ precariously
▪
houses ~ing precariously to sheer cliffs
▪ together
▪
The children clung together in fear.
PREPOSITION
▪ onto
▪
She clung onto my arm.
▪ to
▪
He clung tightly to the raft to keep himself afloat.
2 stay close
ADVERB
▪ close , closely
▪
The ground mist clung closely to the bushes.
PREPOSITION
▪ to
PHRASAL VERB
cling (on) to sth
ADVERB
▪ still
▪ doggedly , rigidly , steadfastly , stubbornly , tenaciously
▪
He still ~s stubbornly to his socialist ideas.
▪ desperately , fiercely
▪
She was desperately ~ing on to life.
▪ barely
▪
He lay there, barely ~ing to consciousness.
Cling is used with these nouns as the subject: ↑ ivy