to stick
- verb
- /stɪk/
- She used colorful stickers to stick decorations on her school project.
Examples
-
Sometimes I stick leaves on my hair.
-
I like to stick them in things.
-
You can also stick pins in a poppet, to cause pain.
-
We should stick googly eyes on his face, and we should put him in a cage and decorate the cage.
-
Wex came hurrying back with a newspaper sticking out of his pocket.
Fiction book (1993) -
The artist decided to stick feathers onto the canvas to add texture to her artwork.
-
He carefully stuck the photos onto the scrapbook page to preserve their memories.
Synonyms
To press something deeply into a surface
To fasten something with a small pointed object
To put decorations on something to make it look more beautiful
To attach something to another thing by sticking or fastening it
To cut a narrow groove into a wall or other surface
To fasten something to a surface with a small nail or pin
To decorate a surface by fitting pieces of a different material into it
To put something firmly into a material so it stays there
To cover or decorate something with small shiny things
To attach a thin decorative piece to the surface of something
Antonyms
Idioms
To take a risk by saying or doing something that may get you in trouble
- Informal
To feel angry or bitter about something unfair that you cannot forget
Stay alert and ready to move, like resting a hockey stick on the ice
- Informal
Say or do something on purpose to hurt someone who is already in trouble
- Informal
Give full attention to your own work and skills, not other people's tasks
- Informal
Push away a lot of people or fans as a joke about being too popular
- Informal
To end up by chance with an unpleasant task or in a worse position
- Informal
A joking way to say something is very unpleasant or painful
- Offensive
To let strong, uncontrolled feelings make your life worse
- Informal
To suddenly understand something you should have noticed earlier
- Offensive
A shout people say when they are very surprised or do not believe something
To have sex or start a romantic relationship with someone who is emotionally unstable and likely to cause trouble
- Informal
To get involved in other people's business when they do not ask for help
Phrasal Verbs
- Informal
To check if food is cooked by poking it with a fork or to say something is finished
Compounds
A very simple drawing of a person using a circle for the head and lines for body, arms and legs
- Offensive
A person who prefers the usual way of doing things and does not accept new ideas
- Slang
A pretend object used to give someone a very clear hint about something they missed
- Specialized
A stick of dried plant leaves that people burn near the skin to give warmth in East Asian medicine
- Archaic
A short cane carried by army officers to show who is in charge or for ceremonies
- Specialized
A stick made from dried mugwort leaves that therapists burn near the skin for traditional heat therapy
How Deep
Surface Forms
Etymology
Stick meaning to cover or decorate by piercing a surface comes from the original sense of pushing a sharp object into something, so you 'stick' pins, flags, or beads into a cake or craft to hold or decorate it.