Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense clusters, present participle clustering, past tense, past participle clustered
1. countable noun
A clusterof people or things is a small group of them close together.
...clusters of men in formal clothes.
There's no town here, just a cluster of shops, cabins and motels at the side of thehighway. [+ of]
Synonyms: gathering, group, collection, bunch [informal] More Synonyms of cluster
2. verb
If people clustertogether, they gather together in a small group.
The passengers clustered together in small groups. [V + together]
The children clustered around me. [V + around/round]
[Also VERB preposition]
Synonyms: gather, group, collect, bunch More Synonyms of cluster
3. See also clustered
cluster in British English
(ˈklʌstə)
noun
1.
a number of things growing, fastened, or occurring close together
2.
a number of persons or things grouped together
3. US military
a metal insignia worn on a medal ribbon to indicate a second award or a higher class of a decoration or order
4. military
a.
a group of bombs dropped in one stick, esp fragmentation and incendiary bombs
b.
the basic unit of mines used in laying a minefield
5. astronomy
an aggregation of stars or galaxies moving together through space
6.
a group of two or more consecutive vowels or consonants
7. statistics
a naturally occurring subgroup of a population used in stratified sampling
8. chemistry
a.
a chemical compound or molecule containing groups of metal atoms joined by metal-to-metal bonds
b.
the group of linked metal atoms present
verb
9.
to gather or be gathered in clusters
Derived forms
clustered (ˈclustered)
adjective
clusteringly (ˈclusteringly)
adverb
clustery (ˈclustery)
adjective
Word origin
Old English clyster; related to Low German Kluster; see clod, clot
cluster in American English
(ˈklʌstər)
noun
1.
a number of things of the same sort gathered together or growing together; bunch
2.
a number of persons, animals, or things grouped together
3. Phonetics
a group of nonsyllabic phonemes, esp. a group of two or more consecutive consonants
verb intransitive, verb transitive
4.
to gather or grow in a cluster or clusters
Derived forms
clustery (ˈclustery)
adjective
Word origin
ME < OE clyster, cluster; akin to north Ger dial. kluster, claw, clot
Examples of 'cluster' in a sentence
cluster
The thunderstorms became more tightly clustered around the core.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
More upright plants benefit from being grouped in clusters that show off their contrasting shapes, patterns and textures.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
In the autumn its small but perfectly formed bright red rounded hips are clustered together and persist well into the winter if the birds don't munch them.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The flowers grow in little white clusters and are just opening.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Groups were clustered around elders who led them in monthly fellowship meetings.
Christianity Today (2000)
You see them clustered around our schools.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
You can see how the relatives cluster together.
Michael Boulter EXTINCTION: Evolution and the End of Man (2002)
We all have a fear of small clusters of holes.
The Sun (2011)
One can find clusters of them containing berries of all these colours mixed together.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Some of the little flowers clustered in the rosettes get blown down by the wind like confetti.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
We clustered around the invaders and took pictures on our mobile phones.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
These small clusters have a dramatic future.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The researcher suffered chest and abdominal injuries when the military cluster bomb exploded.
The Sun (2015)
Pure white blossoms can also be found in little clusters.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
But in a complex system there is a tendency to cluster around powerful units.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Roads devoted to the great poets cluster together all over the country.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The cabin is uncluttered with a small cluster of instrument dials to control key elements.
The Sun (2012)
At one point there were more people clustered high on the roadside than were actually inside the venue.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Far below you is the little linear cluster of houses with a handful of solid stone buildings at its heart.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Suddenly, there is a cluster of people around the door.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
For many, the impact of abuse clusters around feelings of powerlessness and betrayal.
The Sun (2014)
People with cluster headaches tend to pace around; whereas those with migraine prefer to lie down or sleep.
Westcott, Patsy Alternative Health Care for Women (1991)
In other languages
cluster
British English: cluster NOUN
A cluster of people or things is a small group of them close together.
...clusters of men in formal clothes.
American English: cluster
Brazilian Portuguese: grupo
Chinese: > 群人或物的
European Spanish: grupo
French: petit groupeN
German: Gruppe
Italian: gruppo
Japanese: 集団
Korean: 떼
European Portuguese: grupo
Latin American Spanish: grupo
British English: cluster VERB
If people cluster together, they gather together in a small group.
The passengers clustered together in small groups.
American English: cluster
Brazilian Portuguese: agrupar-se
Chinese: > 聚人或物的
European Spanish: agruparse
French: se rassembler
German: sich scharen
Italian: raggrupparsi
Japanese: 群がる
Korean: 떼
European Portuguese: agrupar-se
Latin American Spanish: agruparse
All related terms of 'cluster'
cluster fly
a dipterous fly , Pollenia rudis, that tends to gather in large numbers in attics in the autumn : family Calliphoridae. The larvae are parasitic in earthworms
cluster area
a place where a concentration of a particular phenomenon is found
cluster bomb
A cluster bomb is a type of bomb which is dropped from an aircraft . It contains a large number of smaller bombs that spread out before they hit the ground .
cluster pack
a package containing a collection of related goods, sold as a single unit
gear cluster
an assembly of gears permanently attached to a shaft
open cluster
a comparatively young, irregularly shaped group of stars, often numbering up to several hundred , and held together by mutual gravitation ; usually found along the central plane of the Milky Way and other galaxies
star cluster
a number of stars of common origin held together as a group by gravitational attraction
tone cluster
a group of adjacent notes played simultaneously, either in an orchestral score or, on the piano , by depressing a whole set of adjacent keys
cluster headache
a type of recurrent headache characterized by sudden onset and intense pain on one side of the face near the eye
cluster pinaster
a Mediterranean pine tree, Pinus pinaster , with paired needles and prickly cones
consonant cluster
a group of consonants without an intervening vowel
globular cluster
a densely populated spheroidal star cluster with the highest concentration of stars near its centre, found in the galactic halo and in other galaxies
oak leaf cluster
a silver or bronze military decoration in the shape of oak leaves awarded on a medal or decoration of a soldier to show they have received that medal or decoration more than once
Praesepe
an open cluster of several hundred stars in the constellation Cancer , visible to the naked eye as a hazy patch of light
RR Lyrae star
one of a group of pulsating variable stars found in the halo of the Milky Way, with periods between 1.2 and 30 hours ; all have approximately the same luminosity and are therefore used for measuring distances
maritime pinaster
a Mediterranean pine tree, Pinus pinaster , with paired needles and prickly cones
pinaster
a Mediterranean pine tree , Pinus pinaster, with paired needles and prickly cones
Chinese translation of 'cluster'
cluster
(ˈklʌstəʳ)
n(c)
[of people]群 (qún)
[of things, cases]组(組) (zǔ)
vt
to be clustered around sth聚集在某物的周围(圍) (jùjí zài mǒuwù de zhōuwéi)
(noun)
Definition
a number of people or things grouped together
A cluster of men blocked the doorway.
Synonyms
gathering
He spoke today before a large gathering of world leaders.
group
a small group of islands off northern Japan
collection
A collection of people of all ages assembled to pay their respects.
bunch (informal)
The players were a great bunch.
knot
clump
There was a clump of trees bordering the side of the road.
assemblage
a chaotic assemblage of drifters and ruffians
aggregate
society viewed as an aggregate of individuals
(verb)
Definition
to gather or be gathered in clusters
The passengers clustered together in small groups.
Synonyms
gather
In the evenings, we gathered round the fire and talked.
group
We want to encourage them to group together as one big purchaser.
collect
Two young girls were collecting firewood.
bunch
She clutches the sides of her skirt until it bunches around her waist.
assemble
There was nowhere for students to assemble before classes.
flock
The crowds flocked around her.
huddle
strangers huddling together for warmth
Additional synonyms
in the sense of aggregate
Definition
an amount or total formed from separate units
society viewed as an aggregate of individuals
Synonyms
total,
body,
whole,
amount,
collection,
cluster,
mass,
sum,
combination,
pile,
mixture,
bulk,
lump,
heap,
accumulation,
assemblage,
agglomeration
in the sense of assemblage
Definition
a collection or group of things
a chaotic assemblage of drifters and ruffians
Synonyms
group,
company,
meeting,
body,
crowd,
collection,
mass,
gathering,
rally,
assembly,
flock,
congregation,
accumulation,
multitude,
throng,
hui (New Zealand),
conclave,
aggregation,
convocation (formal),
runanga (New Zealand)
in the sense of assemble
Definition
to collect or gather together
There was nowhere for students to assemble before classes.