CLING


Meaning of CLING in English

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

Oxford Collocations English Dictionary.      Оксфордский английский словарь словосочетаний .