1
general::
cling (on) to sth
to try very hard to keep something
• He clung on to power for another ten years., cling to sth
to refuse to stop believing or hoping for something
• She clings to the hope that her husband will come back to her.
Cambridge-Phrasal Verbs
2
general::
verb hold tightly ADV. firmly, tightly | desperately, precariously houses clinging precariously to sheer cliffs | together The children clung together in fear. PREP. onto She clung onto my arm. | to He clung tightly to the raft to keep himself afloat. stay close ADV. close/closely The ground mist clung closely to the hedgerows. PREP. to PHRASAL VERBS cling (on) to sth ADV. still | rigidly, stubbornly, tenaciously He still clings stubbornly to his socialist ideas. | desperately, fiercely She was desperately clinging on to life.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary