as in circle
a group of people sharing a common interest and relating together socially
that clique refuses to even talk to outsiders at their lunch table
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of clique
The dark comedy about teen suicide and social cliques was adapted into a musical by Laurence O’Keefe and Kevin Murphy and had an off-Broadway run in 2014.
—
Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 8 Apr. 2026
The Republican donors get their roles, splitting their loot with the more pliable components of the Castro clique.
—Quico Toro, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2026
When a new employee, Pumpkin (Tung), is welcomed into the coven, jealousies emerge, secrets come to the surface, and the toxicity of the clique has deadly consequences.
—Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 25 Mar. 2026
One third of power clique Griselda, the Buffalo, New York rapper, as a solo artist, has some of the best chops in the game.
—Deborah Sengupta Stith, Austin American Statesman, 17 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for clique
Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 8 Apr. 2026
The Republican donors get their roles, splitting their loot with the more pliable components of the Castro clique.
—Quico Toro, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2026
When a new employee, Pumpkin (Tung), is welcomed into the coven, jealousies emerge, secrets come to the surface, and the toxicity of the clique has deadly consequences.
—Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 25 Mar. 2026
One third of power clique Griselda, the Buffalo, New York rapper, as a solo artist, has some of the best chops in the game.
—Deborah Sengupta Stith, Austin American Statesman, 17 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for clique
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clique
Noun
-
In her once-easy-to-navigate social circles, communication was often even harder.—
Théoden Janes,
Charlotte Observer,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The issue is moving beyond niche environmental circles and into mainstream public concern that crosses culture-war boundaries.—
Justin Zorn,
STAT,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But the Padres broke the tie with a check-swing RBI infield single by Xander Bogaerts in the eighth inning, and San Diego held on to beat the Sox 4-3 in front of a sellout crowd of 40,171 at Petco Park.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
4 May 2026
-
The Madison Square Garden crowd let Embiid hear it with booming, profane jeers throughout that 2024 slugfest, which the Knicks won in six games.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
At the same time, big, legacy airlines were selling their own basic economy fares that were similar to what Spirit was offering, but with bigger networks and more perks, like free wi-fi, food and more roomier seat options, as well as lounges.—
Leslie Josephs,
CNBC,
2 May 2026
-
The former Wall Street Journal staffer signed on as chief tech analyst and contributing correspondent with the network.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
Water has been a focus of the Newsom administration since his first day in office, when the governor took his cabinet to Monterey Park Tract, a rural Central Valley community that lacked access to safe drinking water.—
Ian James,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2026
-
These are trade-offs that can be negotiated, at both the local and national levels, to benefit our communities.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
New Yorker,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
The Green Party has now gotten into trouble because a bunch of their candidates have posted antisemitic things online.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
7 May 2026
-
For producers, prices were high enough to turn a profit but not high enough to justify sending a bunch of drilling rigs out to boost production.—
Camila Domonoske,
NPR,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
The motorist filed a complaint, and the ensuing internal investigation turned up other cases of gang officers improperly switching off their cameras or otherwise failing to document stops.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2026
-
The problem with this question is the assumption that deputy gangs exist.—
Sierra van der Brug,
Daily News,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
The first collection of in-box toys features exclusive Whataburger sticker packs, with five distinct designs to discover and collect.—
Kait Hanson,
Southern Living,
28 Apr. 2026
-
One of the pacemakers continued until just after the 25-kilometer mark, by which time the pack had been reduced to three.—
Alex Hutchinson,
The Atlantic,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In hindsight, this was NOT exactly a great idea for the clan.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Take a walk to Chew Jetty, a historic waterfront settlement of stilt houses built by Chinese immigrants in the 19th century; visit Little India, with its heady, culture-melding atmosphere; or make a day doing the rounds of clan temples (Khoo Kongsi included) and Peranakan mansions.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clique.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clique. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
