stickup

1 of 2

noun

stick·​up ˈstik-ˌəp How to pronounce stickup (audio)
: a robbery at gunpoint : holdup

stick up

2 of 2

verb

stuck up; sticking up; sticks up

intransitive verb

: to stand upright or on end : protrude

transitive verb

: to rob at gunpoint
Phrases
stick up for
: to speak or act in defense of : support

Examples of stickup in a Sentence

Noun He pulled out a gun and shouted, “This is a stickup!”.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Moore pointed out that robberies were down about 10%, but a greater percentage of those stickups involved firearms. Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 25 Jan. 2024 Giant portraits of him and Izo adorn the wall, complemented with a billboard of Jim Carrey’s The Mask — Manno’s nickname from his early days as a stickup man. Jason Motlagh, Rolling Stone, 26 Nov. 2023 The actor was best known for his role as the magnetic stickup man Omar Little on the HBO series The Wire. Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 26 July 2023 According to Cleveland Police, the players had jewelry and a truck taken during the early morning stickup. Tom Withers, Chicago Tribune, 6 June 2023 But this wasn’t a stickup. New York Times, 28 Apr. 2022 Arrests didn’t come until September, when Juwan Anderson and Say-Quan Pollack, both 23, were apprehended and hit with federal robbery charges over the church stickup. Fox News, 19 Dec. 2022 During the stickup, the gunmen killed a security guard, Peter Paige. New York Times, 1 May 2022 Four defendants have been charged with a string of robberies throughout the Bay Area, including an armed stickup of a film crew at Twin Peaks that was captured in a viral video, the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday. Rachel Swan, San Francisco Chronicle, 12 Apr. 2022
Verb
After washing, the rug remained completely flat, with no edges or corners sticking up. Alida Nugent, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Feb. 2024 Larry displays an uncommon degree of empathy in sticking up for the guy, though a big part of that comes from enjoying his flattery. Ben Rosenstock, TIME, 2 Feb. 2024 In other areas, the rock happens to stick up through the red dust as flat polygons resembling pavers in a garden, or as taller, boulder-sized blocks. Scott K. Johnson, Ars Technica, 18 Sep. 2023 The animal’s head sticks up through the top of the big wooden and metal box, but a frame allows a tarp to cover over Benito and insulate him from the cold, wind and rain as well as from noise and the sight of landscape speeding by. Alicia Fernández, Fortune, 22 Jan. 2024 Communicating with each other, sticking up for the next generation and setting the standard high for ourselves can make things better. Kristin Robinson, Billboard, 14 Dec. 2023 Nicky Hilton Rothschild is sticking up for her family. Angela Andaloro, Peoplemag, 10 Nov. 2023 Tom Schwartz is sticking up for his friend Tom Sandoval. Lanford Beard, Peoplemag, 4 Dec. 2023 In certain areas there are also hiking routes, designated by posts that stick up through the sand. Geoffrey Morrison, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stickup.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1862, in the meaning defined above

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of stickup was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near stickup

Cite this Entry

“Stickup.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stickup. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

stickup

1 of 2 noun
stick·​up ˈstik-ˌəp How to pronounce stickup (audio)
: a robbery at gunpoint : holdup

stick up

2 of 2 verb
ˈstik-ˈəp
1
: to stand upright or on end : protrude
2
: to rob at gunpoint

More from Merriam-Webster on stickup

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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