make (something) stick

idiom

: to make it difficult or impossible to move (something) from a place or position
often used figuratively
He repeated the information several times to make it stick (in their minds).
You can charge him with fraud, but you'll need more evidence if you want to make the charge stick when it comes to a trial.

Examples of make (something) stick in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Forgetting your goals can be far too easy, so to make something stick, write it down. Nerdwallet, cleveland, 14 Jan. 2023 Given Attorney General Merrick Garland’s reputation as a straight shooter, that might be a difficult case to make stick. Blake Hounshell, New York Times, 17 Nov. 2022 The seditious-conspiracy statute, which originated in the Civil War era, is exceedingly hard to make stick. James Verini, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2023 But when his aerial showboating pisses off Admiral Cain (Ed Harris), who’s pushing to transition to drone aircrafts and make stick jockeys obsolete, Maverick gets his wings clipped. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 May 2022 Willingness to make stick throws into tight windows versus man and zone with an aggressive throwing mindset. Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2022 However, certain companies have overcome that challenge and make stick vacuums that excel at whole-house cleaning. Allen Foster, chicagotribune.com, 26 Mar. 2021

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

Dictionary Entries Near make (something) stick

Cite this Entry

“Make (something) stick.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/make%20%28something%29%20stick. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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