We study the equilibrium geometries and growth modes of small stoichiometric (TiO) n (n=<9) clusters by using the ab initio calculations within the framework of density-functional theory and the generalized gradient approximation. The resulting geometries show that the three-dimensional ring-like structures are more favorable energetically than the cubic-like structures and clusters of (TiO) 6 and (TiO) 9 have an unusual stability. Moreover, studies show that even larger clusters could be obtained by using (TiO) 2 and (TiO) 3 rings as the building blocks.