clique

noun

: a narrow exclusive circle or group of persons
especially : one held together by common interests, views, or purposes
high school cliques
cliquey adjective
cliquish adjective
cliquishly adverb
cliquishness noun

Examples of clique in a Sentence

that clique refuses to even talk to outsiders at their lunch table
Recent Examples on the Web While the clique all dons an array of statement looks, fans may be surprised to learn that the film actually had an extremely limited costume budget. Christian Allaire, Vogue, 20 Feb. 2024 The tag represented a clique, or subset, of 18th Street, Aguirre said. Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 13 Feb. 2024 And everyone is forced to sort themselves into cliques to survive. Alissa Wilkinson, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2024 In this case that’s the looming death of Doris’ brother and her ultimate acceptance into the cool clique in a slinky sequined gown at the prom. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Jan. 2024 Their outcast characters fear and despise the Plastics, the clique of popular girls who rule the hallways at their high school. Benjamin Vanhoose, Peoplemag, 12 Jan. 2024 She was horrified at the mean things written in the Burn Book and loved how all the cliques blended together in the end. Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 11 Jan. 2024 Groups of a great ape species called bonobos may also work collaboratively with other cliques, according to a study published November 16 in the journal Science. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 16 Nov. 2023 That’s a line straight out of Mean Girls, the circa 2004 movie about surviving a suburban high school and its cliques. José Criales-Unzueta, Vogue, 9 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'clique.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

French

First Known Use

1711, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of clique was in 1711

Dictionary Entries Near clique

Cite this Entry

“Clique.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clique. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

clique

noun
: a small group of people who spend time together and are not friendly to other people
cliquey
ˈklē-kē How to pronounce clique (audio)
ˈkli-
adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on clique

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