1
a
: any of various strong adhesive substances
especially
: a hard protein chiefly gelatinous substance that absorbs water to form a viscous solution with strong adhesive properties and that is obtained by cooking down collagenous materials (such as hides or bones)
b
: a solution of glue used for sticking things together
2
: something that binds together
enough social glue … to satisfy the human desire for community—
E. D. Hirsch, Jr.
E. D. Hirsch, Jr.
glued; gluing also glueing
1
: to cause to stick tightly with or as if with glue
gluing the parts together
used that war to glue together a frail story—Gloria Emerson
Gloria Emerson2
: to cause to remain continuously or to be fixed steadily
—usually used with to
the spectators were glued to their seats
all eyes glued to the TV screen
Synonyms
Examples of glue in a Sentence
Noun
The hardware store offers several different glues.
used glue to stick the photo in the album
Verb
I glued the pieces of the cup back together.
Recent Examples on the WebDominique Fluker, Essence, 10 Nov. 2023
Benitez, a 5-9 junior point guard, is the glue on and off the court.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2023
In this last-chance season for Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, Harden could be the glue that could keep them here.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2023
With a leftover piece of wood or a wood plaque, create a pumpkin shape using the twigs and attach them with hot glue.
—Shelby Deering, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Oct. 2023
To make the new threads, engineers first designed a glue gun-like machine that slowly excretes heated LCE resin through a nozzle.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 26 Oct. 2023
Step one is getting past all the phone glue, which involves heating up the screen, pulling the screen away from the body with a suction cup, and cutting the glue around the edge with a soft pick.
—Ron Amadeo, Ars Technica, 23 Oct. 2023
The egg acts as a glue to keep everything together.
—Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 23 Oct. 2023
This ready-to-wear nail set comes with various nail sizes to ensure the right fit for each finger, plus brush-on glue and quick-change gel tabs for easy application and removal.
—Theresa Holland, Travel + Leisure, 26 Oct. 2023
Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 23 Nov. 2023
Starting at the bottom, glue each strip around the cone, layering upward so each row overlaps the last by about a half-inch.
—Karen Hugg, Washington Post, 22 Nov. 2023
Last October, two people in Just Stop Oil’s bright orange T-shirts opened cans of tomato soup and threw the liquid on to Van Gogh’s Sunflowers painting at the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square before gluing their hands to the wall.
—Mallory Moench, TIME, 11 Nov. 2023
Climate protesters have thrown mashed potatoes on a Claude Monet painting, attempted to glue their hands to Edvard Munch’s The Scream, smeared paint on the case of a Degas sculpture and covered the glass protecting the Mona Lisa in cake.
—Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Nov. 2023
Yarden’s brother, her sister, and six of her friends sat around a nearby table in silence, each glued to a laptop and tasked with a different assignment: from reaching out to foreign diplomats to deciding on a strategy for the month ahead.
—Ruth Margalit, The New Yorker, 11 Nov. 2023
They’re made with a contoured footbed, which comes in handy for avoiding swollen feet after hosting dinners and being glued to the stove all day.
—Grace McCarty, SELF, 9 Nov. 2023
Each pair of shoes is handcrafted in the Alsace region and made with a reverse-welt construction where the sole is carefully stitched rather than glued.
—Leah Melby Clinton, wsj.com, 3 Nov. 2023
Thompson fully committed to her costume by wearing a wig, which was glued on and styled by hair pro Marin Renee.
—Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 1 Nov. 2023
See More
Noun
While some glue themselves to phones, others deepen their creativity via coloring books, reading or snoozing.
—Dominique Fluker, Essence, 10 Nov. 2023
Benitez, a 5-9 junior point guard, is the glue on and off the court.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2023
In this last-chance season for Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, Harden could be the glue that could keep them here.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2023
With a leftover piece of wood or a wood plaque, create a pumpkin shape using the twigs and attach them with hot glue.
—Shelby Deering, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Oct. 2023
To make the new threads, engineers first designed a glue gun-like machine that slowly excretes heated LCE resin through a nozzle.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 26 Oct. 2023
Step one is getting past all the phone glue, which involves heating up the screen, pulling the screen away from the body with a suction cup, and cutting the glue around the edge with a soft pick.
—Ron Amadeo, Ars Technica, 23 Oct. 2023
The egg acts as a glue to keep everything together.
—Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 23 Oct. 2023
This ready-to-wear nail set comes with various nail sizes to ensure the right fit for each finger, plus brush-on glue and quick-change gel tabs for easy application and removal.
—Theresa Holland, Travel + Leisure, 26 Oct. 2023
Verb
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was temporarily halted when a group of about 30 pro-Palestinian protesters ran into the street and apparently glued themselves to the pavement of the parade route in New York City.
—Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 23 Nov. 2023
Starting at the bottom, glue each strip around the cone, layering upward so each row overlaps the last by about a half-inch.
—Karen Hugg, Washington Post, 22 Nov. 2023
Last October, two people in Just Stop Oil’s bright orange T-shirts opened cans of tomato soup and threw the liquid on to Van Gogh’s Sunflowers painting at the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square before gluing their hands to the wall.
—Mallory Moench, TIME, 11 Nov. 2023
Climate protesters have thrown mashed potatoes on a Claude Monet painting, attempted to glue their hands to Edvard Munch’s The Scream, smeared paint on the case of a Degas sculpture and covered the glass protecting the Mona Lisa in cake.
—Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Nov. 2023
Yarden’s brother, her sister, and six of her friends sat around a nearby table in silence, each glued to a laptop and tasked with a different assignment: from reaching out to foreign diplomats to deciding on a strategy for the month ahead.
—Ruth Margalit, The New Yorker, 11 Nov. 2023
They’re made with a contoured footbed, which comes in handy for avoiding swollen feet after hosting dinners and being glued to the stove all day.
—Grace McCarty, SELF, 9 Nov. 2023
Each pair of shoes is handcrafted in the Alsace region and made with a reverse-welt construction where the sole is carefully stitched rather than glued.
—Leah Melby Clinton, wsj.com, 3 Nov. 2023
Thompson fully committed to her costume by wearing a wig, which was glued on and styled by hair pro Marin Renee.
—Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 1 Nov. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'glue.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English glu, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin glut-, glus; akin to Latin gluten glue — more at clay
First Known Use
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of glue was
in the 14th century
Phrases Containing glue
Dictionary Entries Near glue
Cite this Entry
“Glue.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/glue. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.
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More from Merriam-Webster on glue
Nglish: Translation of glue for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of glue for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about glue
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