STICKS Synonyms: 189 Similar and Opposite Words

sticks 1 of 2

plural noun

ˈstik

as in countryside

the open rural area outside of big towns and cities grew up in the sticks and is used to traveling miles just to get a loaf of bread

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sticks

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of stick

as in adheres

to hold to something firmly as if by adhesion those magnets are strong enough to stick to the refrigerator without any problems

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as in puts

to arrange something in a certain spot or position you can stick that box in the corner until I figure out where to put everything

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as in stabs

to penetrate or hold (something) with a pointed object could hardly feel the needle when the nurse stuck my arm with it

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as in plucks

to rob by the use of trickery or threats she got stuck by an unscrupulous seller while using the online auction site

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of sticks

Verb

The standout episode—the conversion history of Kendra, a Black striver married to the Schwoopers’ daughter, Shira—sticks its landing, enabling the viewer to see faith as a refuge, not a cage. — Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 9 July 2026 Otherwise, Kail sticks closely to the template established for him, recreating every scene and sequence from the first movie with ruthless fidelity and adding essentially no departures of any significance. — Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 8 July 2026 The late Bill Carr, a former Florida athletic director who was Houston’s AD when the SWC breakup began, once summed this up to me in a way that still sticks. — Sam Khan Jr, New York Times, 1 July 2026 No sooner does Aemond arrive than the silver-white-haired warrior sticks his blade into the smooth-talking Harrenhal caretaker, Ser Simon Strong, played by British thespian Simon Russell Beale. — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 29 June 2026 Director David Anspaugh, whose resume includes small-town basketball tale Hoosiers and against-all-odds college football biopic Rudy, sticks rigidly to his sporting underdog formula, only skimming the surface of the David-versus-Goliath encounter. — Jon O'Brien, Vulture, 26 June 2026 The catch is knowing which systems hold up, which ones look most like a real manicure and how to prep your natural nails so the glue actually sticks. — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 26 June 2026 When the nonstick coating wears out, food sticks more, and cleaning up gets harder. — Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 26 June 2026 Your practical eye spots tiny gaps, while a kind tone keeps people open to change so the fix actually sticks today. — Pubsubhub User, Baltimore Sun, 4 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sticks

Verb

Roll each dough ball in powdered sugar, rolling between your palms so that sugar adheres.

— Erin Merhar, Southern Living, 17 July 2026
This helps ensure the new grout adheres properly.

— Jamie Cuccinelli, Martha Stewart, 10 June 2026

Definition of adheres

Verb

Quote of note Veteran center Garrett Bradbury has enjoyed his introduction to Ben Johnson’s offense, a system that puts a lot of responsibility on the guy snapping the ball.

— Dan Wiederer, New York Times, 12 Aug. 2026
As Stevie Wonder’s eponymous 1972 hit suggests, there’s something specifically ominous about a 13-month-old baby that puts it in league with the bad juju of falling ladders and broken looking glasses.

— Kat Chen, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of puts

Verb

His torso and thighs grow eye-poppingly muscular beneath their skimpy fur-and-leather togs—a development that does not go unnoticed by a warrior named Red Hair, who plucks the young hunk from his post and tosses him into the prime time of the gladiator pit.

— Naomi Fry, New Yorker, 15 June 2026
But the emotional gravity of this offering's deeply personal, melancholic lyrical content plucks an undeniably profound chord that uniquely separates it from the rest of his work.

— Chris Barilla, PEOPLE, 29 May 2026

Definition of plucks

Verb

Etna clings to a pre-war Edenic vision of his past to give himself purpose and destination.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Aug. 2026
Throughout his wanderings, the uxorious Odysseus clings to a little doll figure, intended to represent his wife (like the spinning top clutched by Leonardo DiCaprio in 'Inception'); the real woman is barely more interesting.

— Edward Segarra, USA Today, 28 July 2026

Definition of clings

Verb

Without diminishing that aspect of music, Musical Bodies rightly situates as much meaning in the objects themselves.

— Jonathon Keats, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
Garvey said the journal, which published quarterly from 1993 to 2005, was premised on the idea of abolishing whiteness as a social category that situates white people above other racial groups.

— Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 30 July 2026

Definition of situates

Verb

After the couple’s differing tastes in music came to light, Miller asked who picks the music in the car.

— Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 12 Aug. 2026
But vintage bentwood chairs produced later are one of Williamson’s picks for older styles that continue to find a place in contemporary interiors.

— Kristin Hohenadel, The Spruce, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of picks

Verb

Intended to foster moderation, the top two system has instead functioned as a primary system that repeatedly squeezes Republicans.

— Dain Fitzgerald, The Washington Examiner, 1 Aug. 2026
Apple’s iPhone and Mac sales are on the rise even as a global memory shortage squeezes device makers.

— Emma Roth, The Verge, 30 July 2026