cling

•  verb clung , clung, clinging [I]

1    to hold someone or something tightly, especially because you do not feel safe:
?cling to/on/together: The little girl was clinging to her mother, crying.
2    to stick to something:
?Sand clung to her arms and legs.
3    to keep something you have, although this is very difficult:
?cling to/on/onto: He is still clinging on to power.
cling to sb/sth phrasal verb [T]
to continue to believe or hope for something, even though there is no real reason to:
?She still clung to the hope that he loved her.