Click vs. Clique — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman & Urooj Arif — Updated on May 16, 2024
"Click" refers to a short, sharp sound or a selection action using a mouse, while "clique" denotes a small, exclusive group of people.
Difference Between Click and Clique
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
"Click" is primarily used to describe a brief, sharp sound made by a device or mechanism, such as a camera or a mouse. It can also refer to the action of pressing a mouse button to select or activate something on a computer screen. "Clique," on the other hand, refers to a small, exclusive group of people who share common interests and often exclude others. Cliques are typically seen in social settings like schools, workplaces, or communities, where the members tend to associate closely and may be perceived as excluding outsiders.
While "click" is related to sound or action in a technical or mechanical context, "clique" is associated with social dynamics and group behavior. A click is an individual action or a noise, while a clique involves group interactions and social exclusivity.
"Click" can be both a noun and a verb, such as in "There was a click" (noun) or "Please click the button" (verb). "Clique" is solely a noun, as in "They formed a tight-knit clique."
The two terms are pronounced similarly but have distinct meanings and uses, one relating to physical or digital interactions and the other to social groupings.
Comparison Chart
Definition
A short, sharp sound or a mouse selection action
A small, exclusive group of people
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Usage
Describes sounds or computer actions
Describes social group dynamics
Part of Speech
Noun and verb
Noun
Context
Technical, mechanical, digital
Social, interpersonal
Example
"Click the link to open the file."
"The clique was known for being exclusive."
Compare with Definitions
Click
A mechanical sound made by a device.
The camera shutter clicked loudly.
Clique
A group that often excludes others.
The cheerleaders formed a clique that dominated social events.
Click
An action to initiate an event or command.
Click here to submit your response.
Clique
A close-knit group with shared interests.
The art students had their own clique.
Click
A short, sharp sound as of a switch being operated or of two hard objects coming smartly into contact
She heard the click of the door
Clique
A term for an exclusive circle of friends.
They belonged to a clique that always sat together at lunch.
Click
Make or cause to make a short, sharp sound as of a switch being operated or of two hard objects coming smartly into contact
Martha clicked her tongue
She clicked off the light
The key clicked in the lock and the door opened
Clique
A clique (AusE, CanE, UK: or US: ), in the social sciences, is a group of individuals who interact with one another and share similar interests. Interacting with cliques is part of normative social development regardless of gender, ethnicity or popularity.
Click
Become suddenly clear or understandable
I wasn't used to such good treatment, then it clicked: we were wearing suits
Clique
A small close-knit group of people who do not readily allow others to join them
The old-school clique
His flat became a haven for a clique of young men of similar tastes
Click
A brief, sharp sound
The click of a door latch.
Clique
A small exclusive group of friends or associates.
Click
A mechanical device, such as a pawl, that snaps into position.
Clique
To form, associate in, or act as a clique.
Click
An instance of pressing down and releasing a button on a mouse or other input device.
Clique
A small, exclusive group of individuals, usually according to lifestyle or social status; a cabal.
This school used to be really friendly, but now everyone keeps to their own cliques.
Click
An instance of selecting an item in a website or app by clicking or tapping on a mouse, touchscreen, or other input device.
Clique
(graph theory) A subgraph isomorphic to a complete graph.
The problem of finding the largest clique in an arbitrary graph is NP-complete.
Click
(Linguistics) Any of various implosive stops, such as that of English tsk, produced by raising the back of the tongue to make contact with the palate and simultaneously closing the lips or touching the teeth or alveolar ridge with the tip and sides of the tongue, and found as phonemic consonants especially in the languages of the Khoikhoi and the San, and in some Bantu languages. Also called suction stop. See Usage Note at !Kung.
Clique
(Internet) A group of related web sites that link to each other, like a webring but with exclusive membership determined by the clique owner.
Click
To produce a click or series of clicks.
Clique
(intransitive) To associate together in a clannish way; to act with others secretly to gain a desired end; to plot.
Click
To press and release a button on a mouse or other input device.
Clique
A narrow circle of persons associated by common interests or for the accomplishment of a common purpose; - generally used in a bad sense.
Click
To select an item in a webpage or app by clicking or tapping a mouse, touchscreen, or other input device.
Clique
To To associate together in a clannish way; to act with others secretly to gain a desired end; to plot; - used with together.
Click
To have good social or working relations; hit it off
The director and producer clicked at the very start of the play.
Clique
An exclusive circle of people with a common purpose
Click
To become clear; fall into place
The answer finally clicked, and I finished the crossword.
Clique
A small, exclusive group of people.
The office had several cliques that rarely interacted.
Click
To be a great success
The play clicked on Broadway.
Clique
Often seen in social settings like schools or workplaces.
High school cliques can sometimes lead to social tensions.
Click
To cause to click, as by striking together
Clicked his heels.
Click
To press down and release (a button on an input device)
Clicked the left button on the mouse.
Click
To press down and release a button on (an input device)
Clicked the mouse.
Click
To select (an item in a webpage or app) by clicking or tapping a mouse, touchscreen, or other input device
To open the file, click the icon.
Click
A brief, sharp, not particularly loud, relatively high-pitched sound produced by the impact of something small and hard against something hard, such as by the operation of a switch, a lock, or a latch.
As I turned the key, the lock gave a click and the door opened.
Click
(British) The act of making a clicking sound by pressing a finger against the thumb and then releasing to strike the palm; a snap.
Click
(phonetics) An ingressive sound made by coarticulating a velar or uvular closure with another closure.
Tsk is a click in English.
Click
Sound made by a dolphin.
Click
The act of operating a switch, etc., so that it clicks.
Click
(GUI) The act of pressing a button on a computer mouse or similar input device, both as a physical act and a reaction in the software.
Click
(by extension) A single instance of content on the Internet being accessed.
Click
A pawl or similar catch.
Click
A knock or blow.
Click
A limb contortion at the joint, part of vogue dancing.
Click
A detent, pawl, or ratchet, such as that which catches the cogs of a ratchet wheel to prevent backward motion.
Click
The latch of a door.
Click
(transitive) To cause to make a click; to operate (a switch, etc) so that it makes a click.
Click
(intransitive) To emit a click.
Click
(British) To snap the fingers.
Click
(computing) To press and release (a button on a computer mouse).
Click
To select a software item using, usually, but not always, the pressing of a mouse button.
Click
To visit (a web site).
Visit a location, call, or click www.example.com.
Click
To navigate by clicking a mouse button.
I soon grew bored and clicked away from the site.
From the home page, click through to the Products section.
Click
(intransitive) To make sense suddenly.
Then it clicked—I had been going the wrong way all that time.
Click
(intransitive) To get along well.
When we met at the party, we just clicked and we’ve been best friends ever since.
Click
To tick.
Click
To take (a photograph) with a camera.
Click
To achieve success in one's career or a breakthrough, often the first time.
Click
Of a film, to be successful at the box office.
Click
(obsolete) To snatch.
Click
(US) clique
Click
The sound of a click.
Click! The door opened.
Click
To make a slight, sharp noise (or a succession of such noises), as by gentle striking; to tick.
The varnished clock that clicked behind the door.
Click
To move with the sound of a click.
She clicked back the bolt which held the window sash.
Click
To cause to make a clicking noise, as by striking together, or against something.
[Jove] clicked all his marble thumbs.
When merry milkmaids click the latch.
Click
To snatch.
Click
A slight sharp noise, such as is made by the cocking of a pistol.
Click
A kind of articulation used by the natives of Southern Africa, consisting in a sudden withdrawal of the end or some other portion of the tongue from a part of the mouth with which it is in contact, whereby a sharp, clicking sound is produced. The sounds are four in number, and are called cerebral, palatal, dental, and lateral clicks or clucks, the latter being the noise ordinarily used in urging a horse forward.
Click
A detent, pawl, or ratchet, as that which catches the cogs of a ratchet wheel to prevent backward motion. See Illust. of Ratched wheel.
Click
The latch of a door.
Click
A short light metallic sound
Click
Depression of a button on a computer mouse;
A click on the right button for example
Click
A stop consonant made by the suction of air into the mouth (as in Bantu)
Click
A hinged catch that fits into a notch of a ratchet to move a wheel forward or prevent it from moving backward
Click
Move or strike with a noise;
He clicked on the light
His arm was snapped forward
Click
Make a clicking or ticking sound;
The clock ticked away
Click
Click repeatedly or uncontrollably;
Chattering teeth
Click
Cause to make a snapping sound;
Snap your fingers
Click
Produce a click;
Xhosa speakers click
Click
Make a clucking sounds, characteristic of hens
Click
Become clear or enter one's consciousness or emotions;
It dawned on him that she had betrayed him
She was penetrated with sorrow
Click
A short, sharp sound.
I heard a click as the door locked.
Click
Pressing a button on a computer mouse.
Click the icon to open the program.
Click
An act of selecting something on a screen.
A single click will highlight the text.
Common Curiosities
What does "click" mean?
"Click" refers to a short, sharp sound or an action of pressing a button on a computer mouse.
Can "click" be used as a verb?
Yes, "click" can be used as a verb, such as in "click the button."
What is an example of "click" in a sentence?
E.g., "Click the link to open the file."
What does "clique" mean?
"Clique" denotes a small, exclusive group of people who often exclude others.
Can "click" refer to a mechanical sound?
Yes, "click" can refer to a mechanical sound made by a device.
Is "click" used in computer terminology?
Yes, "click" is commonly used in computer terminology.
What part of speech is "click"?
"Click" can be a noun or a verb.
Is "click" used in a digital context?
Yes, "click" is often used in digital contexts, such as using a mouse to select something on a screen.
Can "clique" be used as a verb?
No, "clique" is solely a noun.
What is an example of "clique" in a sentence?
E.g., "The school was divided into several cliques."
Is "clique" associated with social behavior?
Yes, "clique" is associated with social group dynamics and exclusivity.
Are "click" and "clique" pronounced the same?
They are pronounced similarly but not exactly the same; "click" has a sharper ending sound.
Can "clique" describe a positive group?
While often seen negatively, a clique can describe any small, close-knit group, whether positive or negative.
Is "clique" related to friendship circles?
Yes, "clique" refers to exclusive friendship circles.
What part of speech is "clique"?
"Clique" is a noun.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Urooj ArifUrooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.
