clique

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

• (UK)
  • IPA^(key): /kliːk/

    • Audio (UK)

      (file)

    • Audio (UK)

      (file)

    • Rhymes: -iːk
• (US)
  • IPA^(key): /kliːk/

    • Audio (US)

      (file)

    • Rhymes: -iːk
  • IPA^(key): /ˈklɪk/
    • Homophones: click, klick

    • Audio (US)

      (file)

    • Rhymes: -ɪk

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.

• (small, exclusive group): coterie, inner circle, camp

• (antonym(s) of “graph theory”): independent set

• (small, exclusive group): ingroup

• cliquey

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

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.

• Often used in the form clique together.

• clique on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Borrowing from French clique.

• IPA^(key): /klik/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: cli‧que
• Rhymes: -ik

clique f (plural cliques)

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

From Old French cliquer, of imitative origin.

• IPA^(key): /klik/

• audio

  (file)

• Homophones: clic, clics, cliquent, cliques
• Rhymes: -ik

clique f (plural cliques)

1. clique

• prendre ses cliques et ses claques

clique

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

• “clique”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

• Hyphenation: cli‧que

Borrowed from French clique.[1][2]

clique m (plural cliques)

1. clique (small, exclusive group of people)

Borrowed from English click.[1][2]

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.

clique

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

clique

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