Meaning of stick In English

• 0 a thin piece of wood or other material:

  • The old man was carrying a load of sticks.

  • Police said that the child had been beaten with a stick.

  • Find some dry sticks and we'll make a campfire.

  • A lollipop is a sweet on a stick.

  • a walking stick

  • At 84 he's still quite active, although he walks with the aid of a stick.

  • a hockey/lacrosse/polo stick

  • carrot/bread sticks

  • a stick of celery/rhubarb/chewing gum/chalk/dynamite

  • Do you drive a stick?

  • When they got married, they didn't have a stick of furniture.

  • He said that when he was a boy, his father used to take a stick to him to punish him.

• 1 severe criticism:

  • I really got/took stick from my boss about being late for work again.

  • We gave him some stick for wearing that silly hat.

• 2 an area in the countryside that is far from a town or city:

  • I'm sick of living in the sticks.

  • They live out in the sticks somewhere.

• 3 to cause something to become fixed, for example with glue or another similar substance:

  • I tried to stick the pieces together with some glue/tape.

  • He stuck up an announcement on the board with pins.

  • This glue won't stick.

  • My car's stuck in the mud.

  • Stir the sauce so that it doesn't stick to the pan.

  • My book got wet and all the pages have stuck together.

  • Although her name is Clare, her little sister called her Lali, and somehow the name stuck.

• 4 to put something somewhere, especially in a not very careful way:

  • "Where shall I put these books?" "Oh, just stick them on the table for now."

  • She stuck her fingers in her ears so that she couldn't hear the noise.

  • I'll pay for lunch - I can stick it on my expenses.

  • "I've had enough of working here," she said, "You can stick your job!"

• 5 to push a pointed object into or through something, or (of a pointed object) to be pushed into or through something and stay there:

  • She stuck the needle into my arm.

  • We decided where to go for our holiday by closing our eyes and sticking a pin in the map.

  • A thorn stuck in her finger.

  • The metal springs were sticking through the mattress.

• 6 In some card games, if you stick, you say that you do not want to be given any more cards.

• 7 to bear or accept something or someone unpleasant:

  • I don't think I can stick this job a day longer.

  • [ + -ing verb ] I don't know how you can stick living in this place.

• 8 a thin piece of wood:

  • The campers collected sticks to start a fire.

  • sticks of dynamite

  • a stick of chewing gum

• 9 to push something pointed into or through something, or to be pushed into or through something:

  • [ T ] I simply cannot watch when someone sticks a needle in my arm.

  • [ I ] He throws the knife, and the blade sticks in the wall.

• 10 to attach or become attached:

  • [ T ] Stick the tape to the back of the picture.

  • [ I ] It was so hot that my clothes stuck to me.

• 11 to put something somewhere, usually temporarily:

  • Stick the packages under the table for now.

  • She stuck her tongue out at him and smiled.

• 12 to be fixed in position and unable to move:

  • The window sticks, making it hard to shut it.

• 13 to fasten something somewhere, for example with glue:

  • stick sth on/onto sth Stick these labels on the top of the boxes.

  • stick sth up (with sth) He stuck up a notice on the board with pins.

• 14 to stay at the same level or position for a long time:

  • stick/be stuck at sth The bank's main money market rate has been stuck at 4.50% for eight weeks.

  • The needle on the oil gauge keeps sticking.