cluster
clus·ter / ˈkləstər/ • n. a group of similar objects growing closely together: clusters of creamy-white flowers. ∎ a group of people or similar objects positioned or occurring close together: a cluster of antique shops. ∎ Astron. a group of stars or galaxies forming a relatively close association. ∎ Linguistics (also consonant cluster) a group of consonants pronounced in immediate succession, as str in strong. ∎ a natural subgroup of a population, used for statistical sampling or analysis. ∎ Chem. a group of atoms of the same element, typically a metal, bonded closely together in a molecule.• v. [intr.] be or come into a cluster or close group; congregate: the children clustered around her skirts. ∎ Statistics (of data points) have similar numerical values: students tended to have scores clustering around 70 percent.
