stick out

verb

stuck out; sticking out; sticks out

intransitive verb

1

a

: to jut out : project

ears that stick out

b

: to be prominent or conspicuous

stuck out in an orange vest

2

British, informal : to be persistent (as in a demand or an opinion)

transitive verb

1

: extend (as a body part) outward

stick out your tongue

2

: endure, last entry 1

—often used with it

stuck it out to the end

Synonyms of stick out

• protrude
• poke
• stand out
• bulge

Examples of stick out in a Sentence

no feet sticking out in the aisles, please

managed to stick out the whole race despite her bad knee

Recent Examples on the Web

Vandals stole the control stick out of an R train in December while it was parked underground in southern Brooklyn, a month after an unknown thief absconded with two-way radios from a specialized work train parked in the Coney Island Yard. —Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 6 May 2026

Bailey says one of the women, who is from Latin America, has been especially worried about sticking out in an overwhelmingly white community. —Linley Sanders, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2026

There were no doorframes, there were missing floor tiles, and electrical wires were sticking out all over the place. —Clio Chang, Curbed, 6 May 2026

But in addition to that property, there are six acres of core forest, which literally stuck out like a thumb within the preserve. —Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 4 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1640, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Rhymes for stick out

• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout
• checkout
• closeout
• cutout
• devout
• dropout

Kids Definition

stick out

verb

1

a

: to extend out : project

b

: to be noticeable

you will certainly stick out with that red hat and coat

2

: to put up with : endure

stuck it out to the bitter end