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

Laws that target immigration detention specifically, like one in New Jersey, are difficult to make stick. —Zane Irwin, NPR, 9 May 2025

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