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/
    • Rhymes: -iːk
  • IPA^(key): /ˈklɪk/

    • Audio (US)

      (file)

    • Homophones: click, klick
    • Rhymes: -ɪk

clique (plural cliques)

1. A small, exclusive group of individuals; 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? (on newsgroup alt.fan.leo-dicaprio)

     Does anyone know what an internet clique is/does? I came across a few and am thoroughly confused.

   • 2000, "- deanna -", ot: hiya (on newsgroup alt.fan.backstreet.boys)

     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.... (on newsgroup alt.music.no-doubt)

     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, ingroup, inner circle, camp

• cliquey

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

Old French cliquer.

• IPA^(key): /klik/

• audio

  (file)

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

clique f (plural cliques)

1. clique

clique

1. first-person singular present indicative of cliquer
2. third-person singular present indicative of cliquer
3. first-person singular present subjunctive of cliquer
4. third-person singular present subjunctive of cliquer
5. second-person singular imperative of cliquer

• “clique” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

clique m (plural cliques)

1. click

clique

1. first-person singular present subjunctive of clicar
2. third-person singular present subjunctive of clicar
3. first-person singular imperative of clicar
4. third-person singular imperative of clicar

clique

1. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of clicar.
2. Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of clicar.
3. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present subjunctive form of clicar.
4. Formal second-person singular (usted) imperative form of clicar.