/ English Dictionary

STICK

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

Irregular inflected form: stuck   

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Threat of a penalty

Example:

the policy so far is all stick and no carrot

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("stick" is a kind of...):

penalisation; penalization; penalty; punishment (the act of punishing)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Marijuana leaves rolled into a cigarette for smoking

Synonyms:

joint; marijuana cigarette; reefer; spliff; stick

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("stick" is a kind of...):

butt; cigaret; cigarette; coffin nail; fag (finely ground tobacco wrapped in paper; for smoking)

Meronyms (substance of "stick"):

cannabis; ganja; marihuana; marijuana (the most commonly used illicit drug; considered a soft drug, it consists of the dried leaves of the hemp plant; smoked or chewed for euphoric effect)

Sense 3

Meaning:

An implement consisting of a length of wood

Example:

the kid had a candied apple on a stick

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("stick" is a kind of...):

implement (instrumentation (a piece of equipment or tool) used to effect an end)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "stick"):

walking stick (a stick carried in the hand for support in walking)

swizzle stick (a small stick used to stir mixed drinks)

stob (a short straight stick of wood)

staff (a strong rod or stick with a specialized utilitarian purpose)

spindle (a stick or pin used to twist the yarn in spinning)

backsword; fencing stick; singlestick (a stick used instead of a sword for fencing)

mahlstick; maulstick (a long stick that a painter uses to support the hand holding the brush)

matchstick (a short thin stick of wood used in making matches)

linstock (a stick about a meter long with a point on one end (to stick in the ground) and a forked head on the other end (to hold a lighted match); formerly used to fire cannons)

drumstick (a stick used for playing a drum)

divining rod; dowser; dowsing rod; water finder; waterfinder (forked stick that is said to dip down to indicate underground water or oil)

club (stout stick that is larger at one end)

bow (a slightly curved piece of resilient wood with taut horsehair strands; used in playing certain stringed instruments)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A long thin implement resembling a length of wood

Example:

a stick of dynamite

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("stick" is a kind of...):

implement (instrumentation (a piece of equipment or tool) used to effect an end)

Sense 5

Meaning:

A lever used by a pilot to control the ailerons and elevators of an airplane

Synonyms:

control stick; joystick; stick

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("stick" is a kind of...):

lever (a rigid bar pivoted about a fulcrum)

Sense 6

Meaning:

A long implement (usually made of wood) that is shaped so that hockey or polo players can hit a puck or ball

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("stick" is a kind of...):

sports equipment (equipment needed to participate in a particular sport)

Domain category:

polo (a game similar to field hockey but played on horseback using long-handled mallets and a wooden ball)

field hockey; hockey (a game resembling ice hockey that is played on an open field; two opposing teams use curved hockey sticks try to drive a ball into the opponents' net)

hockey; hockey game; ice hockey (a game played on an ice rink by two opposing teams of six skaters each who try to knock a flat round puck into the opponents' goal with angled hockey sticks)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "stick"):

polo mallet; polo stick (a mallet used to strike the ball in polo)

hockey stick (sports implement consisting of a curved or angled stick used by hockey players to move the puck)

Sense 7

Meaning:

Informal terms for the leg

Example:

fever left him weak on his sticks

Synonyms:

peg; pin; stick

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Hypernyms ("stick" is a kind of...):

leg (a human limb; commonly used to refer to a whole limb but technically only the part of the limb between the knee and ankle)

Sense 8

Meaning:

A rectangular quarter pound block of butter or margarine

Classified under:

Nouns denoting foods and drinks

Hypernyms ("stick" is a kind of...):

margarin; margarine; marge; oleo; oleomargarine (a spread made chiefly from vegetable oils and used as a substitute for butter)

butter (an edible emulsion of fat globules made by churning milk or cream; for cooking and table use)

Sense 9

Meaning:

A small thin branch of a tree

Classified under:

Nouns denoting plants

Hypernyms ("stick" is a kind of...):

limb; tree branch (any of the main branches arising from the trunk or a bough of a tree)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Be a mystery or bewildering to

Example:

This question really stuck me

Synonyms:

amaze; baffle; beat; bewilder; dumbfound; flummox; get; gravel; mystify; nonplus; perplex; pose; puzzle; stick; stupefy; vex

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Hypernyms (to "stick" is one way to...):

bedevil; befuddle; confound; confuse; discombobulate; fox; fuddle; throw (be confusing or perplexing to; cause to be unable to think clearly)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "stick"):

mix up; stump (cause to be perplexed or confounded)

riddle (set a difficult problem or riddle)

elude; escape (be incomprehensible to; escape understanding by)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s somebody

Sense 2

Meaning:

Saddle with something disagreeable or disadvantageous

Example:

I was stung with a huge tax bill

Synonyms:

stick; sting

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Hypernyms (to "stick" is one way to...):

force; thrust (impose urgently, importunately, or inexorably)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody with something

Sense 3

Meaning:

Come or be in close contact with; stick or hold together and resist separation

Example:

The sushi rice grains cohere

Synonyms:

adhere; cleave; cling; cohere; stick

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "stick" is one way to...):

adjoin; contact; meet; touch (be in direct physical contact with; make contact)

"Stick" entails doing...:

attach (become attached)

Verb group:

adhere; bind; bond; hold fast; stick; stick to (stick to firmly)

stick (fasten with an adhesive material like glue)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "stick"):

mold (fit tightly, follow the contours of)

conglutinate (stick together)

agglutinate (clump together; as of bacteria, red blood cells, etc.)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Something is ----ing PP
Somebody ----s PP

Sense 4

Meaning:

Stick to firmly

Example:

Will this wallpaper adhere to the wall?

Synonyms:

adhere; bind; bond; hold fast; stick; stick to

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "stick" is one way to...):

attach (become attached)

Verb group:

adhere; cleave; cling; cohere; stick (come or be in close contact with; stick or hold together and resist separation)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "stick"):

bind (form a chemical bond with)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Something is ----ing PP

Derivation:

sticker (an adhesive label)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Pierce or penetrate or puncture with something pointed

Example:

He stuck the needle into his finger

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "stick" is one way to...):

pierce; thrust (penetrate or cut through with a sharp instrument)

Verb group:

stick (pierce with a thrust using a pointed instrument)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

sticker (a short knife with a pointed blade used for piercing or stabbing)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Pierce with a thrust using a pointed instrument

Example:

he stuck the cloth with the needle

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "stick" is one way to...):

pierce; thrust (penetrate or cut through with a sharp instrument)

Verb group:

stick (pierce or penetrate or puncture with something pointed)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

sticker (a short knife with a pointed blade used for piercing or stabbing)

sticker (a small sharp-pointed tip resembling a spike on a stem or leaf)

Sense 7

Meaning:

Put, fix, force, or implant

Example:

stick your thumb in the crack

Synonyms:

deposit; lodge; stick; wedge

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "stick" is one way to...):

fasten; fix; secure (cause to be firmly attached)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "stick"):

redeposit (deposit anew)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something PP

Sentence example:

They stick the books into the box

Also:

stick out (extend out or project in space)

Sense 8

Meaning:

Fasten into place by fixing an end or point into something

Example:

stick the corner of the sheet under the mattress

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "stick" is one way to...):

fasten (become fixed or fastened)

Verb group:

stick (fasten with an adhesive material like glue)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 9

Meaning:

Fasten with or as with pins or nails

Example:

stick the photo onto the corkboard

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "stick" is one way to...):

fasten (become fixed or fastened)

Verb group:

stick (fasten with an adhesive material like glue)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s PP

Sense 10

Meaning:

Fasten with an adhesive material like glue

Example:

stick the poster onto the wall

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "stick" is one way to...):

fasten (become fixed or fastened)

Verb group:

adhere; cleave; cling; cohere; stick (come or be in close contact with; stick or hold together and resist separation)

stick (fasten into place by fixing an end or point into something)

stick (fasten with or as with pins or nails)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s PP

Sense 11

Meaning:

Cover and decorate with objects that pierce the surface

Example:

stick some feathers in the turkey before you serve it

Classified under:

Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing

Hypernyms (to "stick" is one way to...):

adorn; beautify; decorate; embellish; grace; ornament (make more attractive by adding ornament, colour, etc.)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 12

Meaning:

Stay put (in a certain place)

Example:

Stick around and you will learn something!

Synonyms:

stay; stay put; stick; stick around

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "stick" is one way to...):

stay in place (be stationary)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s
Something is ----ing PP
Somebody ----s PP

Sense 13

Meaning:

Be loyal to

Example:

The friends stuck together through the war

Synonyms:

adhere; stand by; stick; stick by

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Hypernyms (to "stick" is one way to...):

be (have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun))

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Somebody ----s something PP

Sense 14

Meaning:

Be a devoted follower or supporter

Example:

She sticks to her principles

Synonyms:

adhere; stick

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Hypernyms (to "stick" is one way to...):

adopt; espouse; follow (choose and follow; as of theories, ideas, policies, strategies or plans)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s PP

Sense 15

Meaning:

Endure

Example:

The label stuck to her for the rest of her life

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Hypernyms (to "stick" is one way to...):

persist; remain; stay (stay behind)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Sense 16

Meaning:

Be or become fixed

Example:

The door sticks--we will have to plane it

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Hypernyms (to "stick" is one way to...):

be (have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun))

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Credits

 Context examples: 

"The planet got stuck being a sub-Neptune," said Benneke.

(Atmosphere of Midsize Planet Revealed by Hubble, Spitzer, NASA)

People at high genetic risk of stroke can still reduce their chance of having a stroke by sticking to a healthy lifestyle, in particular stopping smoking and not being overweight.

(A healthy lifestyle cuts stroke risk, irrespective of genetic risk, University of Cambridge)

LDL carries cholesterol to the cells that need to make use of it, but if its levels are too high, it can stick to the arteries, leading to all manner of cardiovascular problems.

(Low Levels of Bad Cholesterol Increase Stroke Risk, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

Sticking to a healthy diet in the years after pregnancy may reduce the risk of high blood pressure among women who had pregnancy-related (gestational) diabetes.

(Healthy diet may reduce high blood pressure risk after gestational diabetes, NIH)

Neither dog nor man liked the look of my stick, however, and the matter fell through.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

A waxy solid, usually colored cosmetic, in stick form for the lips.

(Lipstick Dosage Form, NCI Thesaurus/CDISC)

Since amyloid-beta is normally present in such small quantities in the brain, the molecules don’t normally find each other and stick together.

(Brain cholesterol associated with increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease, University of Cambridge)

It’s possible that the methane is trapped inside other ice, making it more likely to stick around.

(NASA Telescope Studies Quirky Comet 45P, NASA)

“Wounded? A fiddle-stick's end!” said the doctor.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

Having travelled about three miles, we came to a long kind of building, made of timber stuck in the ground, and wattled across; the roof was low and covered with straw.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

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