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Glite Dictionary
to stick about

to stick about

4.1
Stay nearby or wait in a place for a short time
  • phrasal verb
  • UK
translation icon : quedarse
  • Don't stick about for too long!

Examples

  • Please stick about!

  • There's no reason to stick about if your work is finished.

  • I decided to stick about for a bit in case he showed up.

  • She tends to stick about after meetings to chat with colleagues.

  • I decided to stick about after the meeting to chat with my colleagues.

  • Do you want to stick about for a while and see the performance?

  • He chose to stick about until the train arrived, just in case.

Synonyms

to stick
vsto stick about
∞ 3.5

To stay loyal to someone or a group

is short temporary availability rather than long loyalty
to stand by
vsto stick about
503 2.6

Be ready to act if needed

is present briefly rather than waiting to act
to hang around
vsto stick about
  • Informal
407 2.0

To stay in a place without doing anything important

is to remain available briefly rather than loitering aimlessly
to stick around
vsto stick about
  • Informal
332 2.9

Stay in a place to wait for something

is to remain available only for a short time
to linger
vsto stick about
207 3.7

To stay in a place longer than expected because you do not want to leave

is short presence rather than prolonged reluctance to leave
to stay put
vsto stick about
  • Informal
133 2.0

Remain in the same place without moving

is available briefly rather than fixed in position
to stay on
vsto stick about
111 3.4

To remain in a place or job after others leave

is brief availability rather than extending beyond others' departure
to persist
vsto stick about
  • Formal
18 5.2

To stay in a place for a long time

is brief availability rather than extended formal remaining
to stay in place
vsto stick about
10 1.5

Not move from a place

is temporary availability rather than permanent stationary presence
to hang about
vsto stick about
  • UK
3 4.4

To stay in a place without a clear reason

is to be briefly available rather than aimless loitering

Antonyms

to leave
∞ 1.0

To go away from a place, person, or group

to depart
176 1.3

To leave a place to start a journey

How Long

to linger
207 3.7
to stay
∞ 1.0
to stick around
  • Informal
332 2.9
to stick about
  • UK
4.1

Surface Forms

stick about infinitive

Morphology

stick + about

The meaning 'to remain in a place' is directly compositional from 'stick' (to stay/persist) plus 'about' (around/nearby), yielding 'stay around'. This basic locational/temporal composition follows common English phrasal-verb patterns and is cross-linguistically familiar, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents can infer the meaning.

Etymology

Stick about comes from the simple picture of something that sticks in one spot and stays about nearby. That's why it means 'remain in a place' or 'hang around' for a short time.