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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Example Sentences

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

When the nonstick coating wears out, food sticks more, and cleaning up gets harder. — Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 26 June 2026 The step-by-step approach matters because going cold turkey rarely sticks. — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 May 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 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 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 The Antarctic Peninsula, a spindly chain of icy mountains which sticks off the west side of the continent like a thumb pointing toward South America, is one of the fastest warming places in the Southern Hemisphere. — Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 8 May 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 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sticks

Verb

This helps ensure the new grout adheres properly.

— Jamie Cuccinelli, Martha Stewart, 10 June 2026
Though Ecco adheres by the principle that form follows function, its walking shoes are still mighty stylish.

— Kyra Surgent, InStyle, 6 June 2026

Definition of adheres

Verb

The fashion from ‘Elle’ puts a modern nostalgia angle on the original, according to costume designer Sara Byblow.

— Madeline Hirsch, InStyle, 7 July 2026
Since 2013, each sequel has avoided feeling stale because it's helmed by an up-and-coming director who puts their stamp on the material with a fresh story and set of characters.

— Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 7 July 2026

Definition of puts

Verb

Kara talks her out of it, and when Ruthye walks away, Kara turns back to Krem and stabs him multiple times with a sword.

— Brian Truitt, USA Today, 27 June 2026
On cue, a Frey leaps out and stabs Robb’s pregnant wife Talisa (Oona Chaplin) in the stomach, and a volley of crossbow arrows lay into Robb and his friends.

— EW Staff, Entertainment Weekly, 25 June 2026

Definition of stabs

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

The dream has to be pinned down, even though a faint trace of this truth still clings to it.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 19 June 2026
How Often to Clean a Fiberglass Shower Clean fiberglass showers and tubs weekly to remove body soil and soap scum that clings to the finish.

— Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 19 June 2026

Definition of clings

Verb

Sittenfeld deftly situates the problems of patriarchy and class politics within an intimate, decades-long love story—and what is more American than that potent mix?

— Hannah Jocelyn, New Yorker, 1 July 2026
Celebrated artists such as Oscar Murillo, Selma Selman, and Hew Locke will be among the participants in next year’s edition of the show, which situates commissions around Münster.

— Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 30 June 2026

Definition of situates

Verb

Nobody picks a bank because of who owns the servers, so why sink capital into owning them?

— Mushfig Aliyev, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026
Subscribe here to our newsletter, In Review by David Ehrlich, in which our Chief Film Critic and Head Reviews Editor rounds up the best new reviews and streaming picks along with some exclusive musings — all only available to subscribers.

— Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 8 July 2026

Definition of picks

Verb

One of our favorite budget models on the market right now is HP's OmniBook X Flip, which squeezes every bit of performance out of its components to deliver capable everyday productivity performance in a good-looking package.

— K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 30 June 2026
That suits floating-rate lenders, who earn more when rates stay up, and squeezes any borrower trying to refinance into those rates.

— Dara-Abasi Ita, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026