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HOW TO PRONOUNCE

clique

/klik/

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American Pronunciation Guide · 0:57
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What does clique mean?

noun

  1. A small, exclusive group of individuals, usually having some common characteristic such as lifestyle or social status, or common purpose; specifically one formed for disreputable purposes, or which purports to be an authority on a particular matter; a cabal.
  2. A subgraph isomorphic to a complete graph.
  3. A group of related websites that link to each other, like a webring but with exclusive membership determined by the clique owner.
More meanings (5)

verb

  1. (informal) To form a clique (“small, exclusive group of individuals, usually having some common characteristic”; noun sense 1); to associate with others in a clannish way.
  2. (informal) To act with others secretly to gain a desired end; to plot, to scheme.

proper noun

  1. Alternative letter-case form of Clique (ellipsis of Skeleton Clique (“the fan base of the American band Twenty One Pilots”)).
  2. Ellipsis of the Skeleton Clique (“the fan base of the American band Twenty One Pilots”).

noun

  1. (historical) An informal faction in the Republic of China (1912–1949) led by one or more warlords exercising regional control through local armed forces (particularly during the Warlord Era); a regional junta.

Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0

IPA pronunciation

/klik/

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0

Other dictionary pronunciations

/ˈklɪk/
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0

Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.

In the pages of books

See this word in context.

“All done in the tying of a cravat,” Sir Percy had declared to his clique of admirers.
Emmuska Orczy, Baroness OrczyThe Scarlet PimpernelProject Gutenberg ebook #60
Indeed, of the possible action of the authorities, as instigated by the clique, the Society stood in some fear.
Thomas WrightThe Life of Sir Richard BurtonProject Gutenberg ebook #4315
More book examples (3)
Its members were no clique of unpractical fanatics—no men less.
Charles KingsleySanitary and Social Lectures and EssaysProject Gutenberg ebook #1637
Money is not essential, but this wide affinity is, which transcends the habits of clique and caste, and makes itself felt by men of all classes.
Ralph Waldo EmersonEssays by Ralph Waldo EmersonProject Gutenberg ebook #16643
My grandmother remained to the end devout and unambitious, occupied with her Bible, her children, and her house; easily shocked, and associating largely with a clique of godly parasites.
Robert Louis StevensonRecords of a Family of EngineersProject Gutenberg ebook #280