stuck in my head

Meanings

1. 1phrasefixed phraseinformal

   Of a song, tune, or phrase, being remembered repeatedly and difficult to stop thinking about.

   Grammar: The possessive changes with the person: stuck in my head, stuck in your head, stuck in her head. It is not used with 'the' before 'head' in this idiom.

   Patterns

   • be stuck in someone's head
   • get a song stuck in your head
   • have something stuck in your head

   That silly advertising jingle has been stuck in my head all day.

   I only heard the chorus once, but now it's stuck in my head.

   She hummed the tune again because it was stuck in her head.

2. 2phrasefixed phraseinformal

   Of a thought, worry, or memory, remaining in your mind and hard to forget.

   Grammar: Often used with a negative feeling: the image was stuck in my head for days. It can also be positive, as with a happy memory.

   Patterns

   • be stuck in someone's head
   • get something stuck in your head

   The look on his face was stuck in my head for weeks.

   I can't get that scary scene out of my head; it's stuck in my head.

Common combinations

get a song stuck in your head

I listened to the radio once and got a song stuck in my head.

be stuck in my head all day

That melody has been stuck in my head all day.

can't get something out of my head

I can't get that comment out of my head.

stuck in your head

Is that tune stuck in your head too?

Synonyms and how they differ

earworm

A noun for a song that repeats in your mind; 'stuck in my head' is the phrase that describes the experience.

haunt

Used for memories or thoughts that keep returning and cause worry; it is stronger and more negative than 'stuck in my head'.

Commonly confused: stuck in my head or in my head?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “stuck in my head”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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