Meaning & use
stick
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Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitive
To become attached to something and hold fast, or to attach something so that it stays.
Grammar: No object when it holds on (the label stuck); takes an object when you attach it (stick a label on the box).
Patterns
- stick to something
- stick something on something
- stick something together
The sticker would not stick to the wet surface.
She stuck the photo on the fridge with a magnet.
Rice sticks to the pan if you do not stir it.
verbintransitive
To become fixed or jammed so that it cannot move freely.
Grammar: No object: the window sticks, the key stuck in the lock.
Patterns
- something sticks in something
The drawer sticks whenever it rains.
His car stuck in the mud and would not move.
The key stuck in the lock, and we had to call someone.
verbintransitive
To keep to a plan, rule or decision, or to stay loyal to someone or something.
Grammar: Used with to or with: stick to the plan, stick with a friend.
Patterns
- stick to something
- stick with someone
- stick together
Please stick to the schedule so we finish on time.
She stuck with her team through the difficult year.
Friends should stick together when things go wrong.
verbtransitiveinformal
To push a pointed object into something, or to put something somewhere quickly.
Grammar: Takes an object; the second use is informal: stick it in the bag.
Patterns
- stick something in something
- stick something into something
He stuck a pin in the map to mark the town.
Just stick your coat on the chair and come in.
The nurse stuck the needle gently into her arm.
nouncountable
A thin piece of wood from a tree, or a long thin object used for walking, playing or holding something.
Grammar: Countable: a stick, two sticks.
Patterns
- a stick of something
The dog ran after the stick I threw.
He carried a walking stick on the mountain path.
She bought a stick of chewing gum at the counter.
Word forms
| plural | sticks |
|---|---|
| third person singular | sticks |
| past tense | stuck |
| past participle | stuck |
| -ing form | sticking |
Common combinations
- stick to the plan
- Let's stick to the plan and leave at six.
- stick together
- The hikers stuck together in the fog.
- stick around
- Can you stick around after the meeting?
- stick up for
- He always sticks up for his little brother.
- stick out
- A nail stuck out of the board.
- stick with it
- Learning piano is hard, but stick with it.
Synonyms and how they differ
- adhere
- Adhere is more formal and technical for something attaching to a surface, while stick is the everyday word.
- cling
- Cling suggests holding on tightly, often to a person or a surface, rather than just attaching.
- persist
- Persist means to continue despite difficulty and is more formal than stick with.
- remain
- Remain means to stay in a place or state, but stick suggests choosing to stay with something.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: stick or struck?
stick vs struck
Struck is the past form of strike (hit), but stuck is the past form of stick. For example, the lightning struck the tree, but the gum stuck to the shoe.
Practice
Despite the setbacks, she decided to ___ her original plan.
Choose one answer.
Stick to means to keep following a plan or rule, so stick to fits here. Stick on, stick up and stick off do not express staying loyal to a plan.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “stick”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.