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

The Thunder wing was confronted by Jokic earlier this season after sticking out his hip and leg to trip the Nuggets center. —Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 13 Apr. 2026

Subtlety never stood a chance, with Cardi leaning fully into the chaos all night — chopping the air with her arms, sticking out her tongue, whipping her head, contorting her body, dropping into splits and backbends without warning. —Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 13 Apr. 2026

Stevens sticks out like a sore thumb in this price range as a value play. —Dennis Esser, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2026

One particularly hilarious example sticks out to Kaufman, to this day. —Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 11 Apr. 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