clique
[ kleek, klik ]
/ klik, klɪk /
noun
a small, exclusive group of people; coterie; set.
verb (used without object), cliqued, cli·quing.
Informal.
to form, or associate in, a clique.
Origin of clique
1705–15; < French, apparently metaphorical use of Middle French
clique latch, or noun derivative of
cliquer to make noise, resound, imitative word parallel to
click1
OTHER WORDS FROM clique
clique·less, adjective cli·quey, cli·quy, adjective cli·quism, noun sub·clique, nounWords nearby clique
clippie,
clipping,
clipshears,
clipsheet,
clipt,
clique,
cliquey,
cliquish,
clishmaclaver,
clisis,
clisthenes
Example sentences from the Web for clique
British Dictionary definitions for clique
clique
/ (kliːk, klɪk) /
noun
a small, exclusive group of friends or associates
Derived forms of clique
cliquish, adjective cliquishly, adverb cliquishness, nounWord Origin for clique
C18: from French, perhaps from Old French: latch, from
cliquer to click; suggestive of the necessity to exclude nonmembers