See also: Clique and cliqué

English edit

Etymology edit

Borrowed from French clique, ultimately of imitative origin. Influenced by "claque", though this may have happened in French rather than in English.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

clique (plural cliques)

  1. A small, exclusive group of individuals, usually according to lifestyle or social status; a cabal.
    This school used to be really friendly, but now everyone keeps to their own cliques.
    • 1931, Dorothy L. Sayers, The Five Red Herrings:
      There had been talk of some disagreement about a picture, but in Sir Maxwell's experience, artists frequently disagreed about pictures, with no more consequences than a little cold-shouldering or the formation of a clique.
  2. (graph theory) A subgraph isomorphic to a complete graph.
    The problem of finding the largest clique in an arbitrary graph is NP-complete.
  3. (Internet) A group of related web sites that link to each other, like a webring but with exclusive membership determined by the clique owner.
    • 1999, Jackie, “someone help me out?”, in alt.fan.leo-dicaprio (Usenet):
      Does anyone know what an internet clique is/does? I came across a few and am thoroughly confused.
    • 2000, - deanna -, “ot: hiya”, in alt.fan.backstreet.boys (Usenet):
      even though we're not "regulars" anymore...*sniffle*...we still can't forget the NG...i always tell new fans about it...(people who join my clique, etc...)...and besides...i owe the NG a LOT...itz where i met my best friend...
    • 2001, spee2k, “future no doubt website....”, in alt.music.no-doubt (Usenet):
      you always have to click some big section and you get a whole new set of options in a different frame, thats[sic] usually on the other side of the screen. when you're there, you can choose from (in a section site stuff or something like that) link me, link you, links, top 10 links, free for all links, cliques, and webrings.

Synonyms edit

Antonyms edit

Hypernyms edit

Derived terms edit

Related terms edit

Translations edit

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

See also edit

  • claque (another type of ingroup of people with biased interests)

Verb edit

clique (third-person singular simple present cliques, present participle cliquing, simple past and past participle cliqued)

  1. (intransitive) To associate together in a clannish way; to act with others secretly to gain a desired end; to plot.

Usage notes edit

  • Often used in the form clique together.

See also edit

Dutch edit

Etymology edit

Borrowing from French clique.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

clique f (plural cliques)

  1. Alternative spelling of kliek (clique, coterie).
  2. (graph theory) clique, subgraph

French edit

Etymology edit

From Old French cliquer.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

clique f (plural cliques)

  1. clique

Derived terms edit

Descendants edit

Verb edit

clique

  1. inflection of cliquer:
    1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
    2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading edit

Portuguese edit

Pronunciation edit

 

  • Hyphenation: cli‧que

Etymology 1 edit

Borrowed from French clique.[1][2]

Noun edit

clique m (plural cliques)

  1. clique (small, exclusive group of people)

Etymology 2 edit

Borrowed from English click.[1][2]

Noun edit

clique m (plural cliques)

  1. click (sharp sound)
  2. (phonetics) (click)
  3. click (the act of pressing a button)
  4. light-bulb moment
    Não estava a conseguir chegar ao resultado, mas subitamente deu-se-me um clique.
    I was failing to reach the result, but suddenly I got a light-bulb moment.

Etymology 3 edit

Verb edit

clique

  1. inflection of clicar:
    1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
    2. third-person singular imperative

References edit

Spanish edit

Verb edit

clique

  1. inflection of clicar:
    1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
    2. third-person singular imperative