What does "cluster" mean?
A bunch or group of several discrete items that are close to each other.
Cluster
/ˈklʌstə/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A bunch or group of several discrete items that are close to each other.
- Grammar: cluster is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: bunch, clump, constellate, accumulate.
- Useful contrasts: equal gaps, pectinate, structured lesson.
- Usage evidence: The farmland was open and flat, except for the solitary house in a cluster of trees.
How to use "cluster"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "cluster" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "cluster" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "cluster" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "cluster" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "cluster" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "bunch" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "cluster", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A bunch or group of several discrete items that are close to each other.
"a cluster of islands"
- 2 a grouping of a number of similar things wordnet
- 3 A bunch or group of several discrete items that are close to each other.; A group of galaxies, nebulae, or stars that appear to the naked eye to be near each other.
"The Pleiades cluster contains seven bright stars."
- 4 A bunch or group of several discrete items that are close to each other.; An ensemble of bound atoms (especially of a metal) or molecules, intermediate in size between a molecule and a bulk solid. physical
- 5 A bunch or group of several discrete items that are close to each other.; A group of computers that work together.
"A computer cluster is a collection of two or more computers used to execute a given problem or section. Typically, in a computer cluster, the interconnection network tying the computers together is a local area network (LAN). […] The computers in the cluster communicate among themselves and among the shared memory."
Show 10 more definitions
- 6 A bunch or group of several discrete items that are close to each other.; A logical data storage unit containing one or more physical sectors (see block (noun)).
- 7 A bunch or group of several discrete items that are close to each other.; A group of cases of the same disease occurring around the same place or time.
"A leukemia cluster has developed in the town."
- 8 A bunch or group of several discrete items that are close to each other.; Synonym of lexical bundle (“a sequence of two or more words that occur in a language with high frequency but are not idiomatic”).
"examples of clusters would include in accordance with, so far, and the results of"
- 9 A bunch or group of several discrete items that are close to each other.; A set of bombs or mines released as part of the same blast.
- 10 A bunch or group of several discrete items that are close to each other.; In full oak leaf cluster: a small bronze or silver device shaped like a twig of oak leaves and acorns which is worn on a ribbon to indicate that the wearer has been conferred the same award or decoration before; an oakleaf. US
- 11 A bunch or group of several discrete items that are close to each other.; A secundal chord of three or more notes.
- 12 A bunch or group of several discrete items that are close to each other.; A pronounceable group of consonants that occur together: a consonant cluster.
"The word scrub begins with a cluster of three consonants."
- 13 A bunch or group of several discrete items that are close to each other.; In cluster analysis: a subset of a population whose members are similar enough to each other and distinct from others as to be considered a separate group; also, such a grouping in a set of observed data that is statistically significant.
- 14 A number of individuals (animals or people) collected in one place or grouped together; a crowd, a mob, a swarm.
"VVe lou'd him, / But like Beaſts / And Covvardly Nobles, / Gaue vvay vnto your Cluſters, vvho did hoote / Him out o' th' Citty."
- 15 Euphemistic form of clusterfuck (“a chaotic situation where everything seems to go wrong”). euphemistic, form-of, slang
Verb
- 1 To collect (animals, people, objects, data points, etc) into clusters (noun noun sense 1). transitive
"The consciousness of such an action will give her features a nobler life on this illustrious day, than all the jewels that can hang in her hair or can be clustered in her bosom."
- 2 gather or cause to gather into a cluster wordnet
- 3 To cover (with clusters); to scatter or strew in clusters (within); to distribute (objects) within such that they form clusters. transitive
"The sea is clustered with islands."
- 4 come together as in a cluster or flock wordnet
- 5 To form a cluster or group; to assemble, to gather. intransitive
"The children clustered around the puppy."
Antonyms
Example
"The farmland was open and flat, except for the solitary house in a cluster of trees."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "cluster"?
Common synonyms include: bunch, clump, constellate, accumulate, adhere, agglomerate.
How do you use "cluster" in a sentence?
The farmland was open and flat, except for the solitary house in a cluster of trees.
How do you pronounce "cluster"?
Pronounced /ˈklʌstə/.
Etymology
The noun is derived from Middle English cluster (“bunch, cluster, spray; compact body or mass, ball”) [and other forms], from Old English cluster, clyster (“cluster, bunch, branch”), from Proto-Germanic *klas-, *klus- (“to clump, lump together”) (possibly from Proto-Indo-European *gel- (“to ball up; to clench; to amass”)) + *-þrą (suffix forming nouns denoting an instrument or tool). The English word is probably a doublet of clot. The verb is derived from the noun. Cognates * Dutch klister (“cluster”) (dialectal) * Icelandic klasi (“cluster; bunch of grapes”) * Low German Kluuster (“cluster”) * Swedish kluster (“cluster”)