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

And then, sticking out like a sore thumb amidst all these names, is Mamukelashvili. —John Hollinger, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025

There are a lot of great films where the music is front and center and sticks out — and that’s amazing. —Clayton Davis, Variety, 24 Oct. 2025

With a pair of dirty scissors Qin Yuan snipped the loose thread where one of the woman’s toes stuck out. —Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025

Family ties and Working Class USA environments are a Cooper specialty — see Out of the Furnace, Black Mass, Crazy Heart — and these scenes both stick out from the rest of the storytelling and bring out the best in the filmmaker. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 22 Oct. 2025

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