Added 9 October 2026
clique
/kliːk/ noun
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about clique at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
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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.
This school used to be really friendly, but now everyone keeps to their own cliques.
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A subgraph isomorphic to a complete graph.
The problem of finding the largest clique in an arbitrary graph is NP-complete.
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A subgraph isomorphic to a complete graph.
The problem of finding the largest clique in an arbitrary graph is NP-complete.
proper noun
verb
- Often followed by together. 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. To act with others secretly to gain a desired end; to plot, to scheme.
- 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.
- To act with others secretly to gain a desired end; to plot, to scheme.
Origin
The noun is borrowed from French clique (“exclusive group of individuals; (archaic or obsolete) group of people hired to applaud or boo, claque”), from cliquer (“to clap; to clack, to click”), ultimately of imitative origin. The proper noun and verb are derived from the noun.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)