/ klɔɪ; NAmE / verb
( of sth pleasant or sweet ) to start to become slightly disgusting or annoying, because there is too much of it :
After a while, the rich sauce begins to cloy.
► cloying adjective :
the cloying sentimentality of her novels
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English : shortening of obsolete accloy stop up, choke , from Old French encloyer drive a nail into, from medieval Latin inclavare , from clavus a nail.