cluster

American  

[kluhs-ter] / ˈklʌs tər /

noun

1. a number of things of the same kind, growing or held together; a bunch.

   a cluster of grapes.

2. a group of things or persons close together.

   There was a cluster of tourists at the gate.

3. U.S. Army. a small metal design placed on a ribbon representing an awarded medal to indicate that the same medal has been awarded again.

   oak-leaf cluster.

4. Phonetics. a succession of two or more contiguous consonants in an utterance, as the str- cluster of strap.

5. Astronomy. a group of neighboring stars, held together by mutual gravitation, that have essentially the same age and composition and thus supposedly a common origin.

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verb (used with object)

1. to gather into a cluster or clusters.

2. to furnish or cover with clusters.

verb (used without object)

1. to form a cluster or clusters.

   The people clustered around to watch.

   Synonyms:

   bunch, crowd, throng, gather, group

cluster British  

/ ˈklʌstə /

noun

1. a number of things growing, fastened, or occurring close together

2. a number of persons or things grouped together

3. 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

   1. a group of bombs dropped in one stick, esp fragmentation and incendiary bombs

   2. 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. chem

   1. a chemical compound or molecule containing groups of metal atoms joined by metal-to-metal bonds

   2. the group of linked metal atoms present

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verb

1. to gather or be gathered in clusters

Other Word Forms

• clustered adjective
• clusteringly adverb
• clustery adjective
• intercluster adjective
• subcluster noun
• unclustered adjective
• unclustering adjective

Etymology

Origin of cluster

before 900; Middle English; Old English cluster, clyster bunch; cognate with Low German kluster

Example Sentences

The cluster of cases suggests a lot of people were infected at the same time, but nothing obviously unusual took place in Kent.

From BBC

Such names often referred not to a single precise shade but to clusters of related ones.

From The Wall Street Journal

Live offers a more centralized, campus-style setting, with venues and event spaces clustered together.

From Los Angeles Times

“As clusters scale, data transfer speeds are becoming a limiting factor, increasing the importance of optical components and materials,” he wrote.

From Barron's

“As clusters scale, data transfer speeds are becoming a limiting factor, increasing the importance of optical components and materials,” Yardeni wrote.

From Barron's

Related Words

• array
• assemblage
• band
• batch
• bunch
• bundle
• chunk
• clump
• collection
• knot