stick 1 of 2

1
as in to adhere
to hold to something firmly as if by adhesion those magnets are strong enough to stick to the refrigerator without any problems

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
3
4

stick

2 of 2

noun

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb stick contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of stick are adhere, cleave, cling, and cohere. While all these words mean "to become closely attached," stick implies attachment by affixing or by being glued together.

couldn't get the label to stick

When would adhere be a good substitute for stick?

While in some cases nearly identical to stick, adhere is often interchangeable with stick but sometimes implies a growing together.

antibodies adhering to a virus

When is cleave a more appropriate choice than stick?

While the synonyms cleave and stick are close in meaning, cleave stresses strength of attachment.

the wet shirt cleaved to his back

In what contexts can cling take the place of stick?

The meanings of cling and stick largely overlap; however, cling implies attachment by hanging on with arms or tendrils.

clinging to a capsized boat

When might cohere be a better fit than stick?

In some situations, the words cohere and stick are roughly equivalent. However, cohere suggests a sticking together of parts so that they form a unified mass.

eggs will make the mixture cohere

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of stick
Verb
The project will provide more than 12,000 pencils, 1,000 boxes of crayons, 2,800 glue sticks, 560 pocket folders, and items for art projects and other subjects. Edward McKinnon, arkansasonline.com, 9 July 2025 But a handful of the other large digging sticks don’t look like anything archaeologists have seen at other Paleolithic sites, or in the hands of modern hunter-gatherers. ArsTechnica, 7 July 2025
Noun
Only a year ago, Google released AI Overviews, a search feature that told users to eat rocks and use glue to stick cheese to pizza. Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 3 June 2025 Insert sticks into the molds and freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight. Matt Rozo, Mercury News, 2 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for stick
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stick
Verb
  • Simply cut it to match the mat and adhere it with tape or glue.
    Kristina McGuirk, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 June 2025
  • In a final step, the mask was carefully aligned with and applied to the surface of the painting, then adhered in place with a thin spray coating of varnish.
    Ben Coxworth, New Atlas, 15 June 2025
Verb
  • Performance reviews may require a personal touch, but AI can help HR leaders put together hiring managers’ or supervisors’ feedback into a proper framework.
    Julie Hoagland, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025
  • While there is no federal ban against single-use plastic straws, some states and cities have put restrictions in place to help reduce waste.
    Ashley J. DiMella, FOXNews.com, 1 July 2025
Verb
  • One such fatwa was the one issued by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the previous supreme leader, against author Salman Rushdie, who was stabbed multiple times at the Chautauqua Institution in southwestern New York in 2022.
    Somayeh Malekian, ABC News, 30 June 2025
  • Police are investigating after three people were stabbed at a beach in New London on Sunday.
    Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 30 June 2025
Verb
  • Paul Blackburn, with plenty of starting experience for Oakland, could squeeze into the picture too – especially if the Mets decide to try a six-man rotation that would save wear and tear on each man.
    Dan Schlossberg, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025
  • When pancake is ready to flip, squeeze the cinnamon mixture into a swirl shape on top of the pancake batter, pressing the tip of the bag slightly into the batter.
    Elizabeth Nelson, Southern Living, 27 June 2025
Noun
  • In many cases, these organizations pointed fingers at external forces rather than examining their own adaptability and resilience.
    Pablo Listingart, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025
  • Cruz wasn’t the Yankees’ only injury reveal on Monday, as Boone said that Austin Wells has been undergoing tests for a circulatory issue in one of his left fingers, per The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner.
    Gary Phillips, Hartford Courant, 30 June 2025
Noun
  • And the animal phyla that have been with us, essentially unchanged, for all those years—the birds and mammals, clams and snails, spiders and insects—these are, to me, surviving embodiments of eternal return.
    Lewis Hyde, Harpers Magazine, 18 June 2025
  • Animals like corals, oysters, clams and some types of plankton need carbonate to build their shells and skeletons.
    Thomas Westerholm, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 June 2025
Noun
  • Each lamp head can swivel 350° side-to-side and tilt 90° up or down, with beam angles that go from narrow spotlighting to wide ambient wash.
    Paul Lamkin, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025
  • The adaptive reuse design preserves the 1907 warehouse’s original Douglas fir beams and brickwork while slashing the building’s carbon footprint.
    Leilani Marie Labong, Travel + Leisure, 29 June 2025
Noun
  • BlackRock’s acquisition of Preqin—a provider of private markets data that tracks over 190,000 funds and 60,000 managers—signals a push for the same transparency in private markets that investors expect in public ones.
    Jim Edwards, Fortune, 1 July 2025
  • The adaptation marks another major move in Webtoon’s aggressive push into animation, with the company developing 20 anime titles slated for 2025.
    Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 1 July 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Stick.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stick. Accessed 13 Jul. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on stick

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!