Meaning & use
gluing or glueing
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Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitive
The -ing form of 'glue': joining or fixing things together with glue, or making something stay firmly in one place.
Grammar: As a participle it often follows 'be' (is gluing) or a noun (the gluing process); it can also take an object: gluing the pieces together.
Patterns
- be gluing something to something
- be gluing something together
- gluing something onto something
- keep gluing something
She is gluing the broken handle back onto the cup.
I spent the morning gluing photos into my album.
The label keeps coming off, so try gluing it down more firmly.
noununcountable
The act or process of sticking things together with glue.
Grammar: Used as a noun it is uncountable and usually appears before another noun: the gluing stage, gluing techniques.
Patterns
- the gluing of something
- gluing together
The gluing of the two halves must be done carefully.
Gluing is the last step before the model is painted.
Common combinations
- gluing something together
- After gluing the pieces together, leave the model to dry overnight.
- gluing something back on
- He is gluing the button back on his coat.
- gluing something to something
- Avoid gluing the paper directly to the painted wall.
- busy gluing
- The children were busy gluing and cutting all afternoon.
- gluing and pasting
- Her scrapbook is full of gluing and pasting from old magazines.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sticking
- Very close in meaning, but 'sticking' is more general and can describe tape, paste, or even mud, while 'gluing' specifically suggests using glue.
- fixing
- This focuses on the result of making something stay in place, not on the method, so it fits when the material used is not important.
- attaching
- More formal and neutral; it works well in instructions but does not say that glue is the thing being used.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: gluing or glueing or glueing?
gluing or glueing vs glueing
This is simply the other accepted spelling of the same word, not a different word. 'Gluing' drops the 'e'; 'glueing' keeps it.
Practice
Which sentence uses the correct spelling for American English?
Choose one answer.
'Gluing' is the standard American spelling, and 'glue something back together' needs no 'to'. Option A uses the British-style spelling, which is acceptable in the UK but less usual in American writing, and options C and D add an incorrect 'to' before 'together'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “gluing or glueing”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.