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Glite Dictionary
➡️ To project outward 👀 To be noticeable 💪 To endure
to stick out

to stick out

6 4.9
To continue in a difficult situation until the end
  • phrasal verb
  • /stɪk aʊt/
  • Informal
translation icon : aguantar
  • After losing the first two games, the team chose to stick out the season and improve for next year.
  • stuck out my hand
  • stuck out her thumb
  • stick out their necks

Examples

  • His concern is that we would stick out and that our children would be alienated.

    Blog text (25)

  • You've got the rudiments now, if you're just dogged enough to stick out the process.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • The day after graduation, she stuck out her thumb and started hitching rides—going nowhere.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • Despite the challenging conditions, she decided to stick out the entire storm and help her neighbors.

  • No matter how tough it got, he promised to stick out the project until it was finished.

Synonyms

to stand
vsto stick out
∞ 3.1

To resist harm and continue to exist despite difficulty

centres on persisting to the end rather than simply resisting pressure
to bear
vsto stick out
876 3.9

To accept something difficult or unpleasant

leans more toward active continuation to the end rather than mere tolerance
to endure
vsto stick out
304 3.5

To deal with something difficult for a long time without giving up

stresses continuing until the end rather than just long suffering
to tolerate
vsto stick out
290 3.5

Endure something unpleasant without complaining

implies determined continuing until the end rather than passive allowance
to put up with
vsto stick out
288 4.3

To accept something unpleasant without complaining

involves continuing despite adversity, not just silently accepting problems
to hold out
vsto stick out
139 3.7

To refuse to give up until you get what you want

is about carrying on until completion rather than merely resisting now
to push through
vsto stick out
39 3.6

To keep going despite problems until you finish

emphasizes staying until the final outcome rather than only advancing
to keep on pushing through
vsto stick out
  • Informal
5.1

To continue to try hard even when things are difficult

focuses on lasting through to the end despite adversity
to brave out
vsto stick out
6.7

To stay and face a difficult situation without showing fear

focuses more on lasting through all adversity rather than only courage

Antonyms

to give up
∞ 1.2

To stop trying to do something or accept defeat

to quit
653 1.5

To stop trying when something is too hard

How Persistent

to persist
62 3.7
to endure
304 3.5
to stick out
  • Informal
6 4.9
to hang in
  • Informal
167 3.6
to hang on
  • Informal
111 3.4

Surface Forms

stick out infinitive
sticking out present participle
sticks out third person singular
stuck out past
stuck out past participle

Morphology

stick + out

The meaning 'to extend outward or project beyond a surface' is directly derivable from combining 'stick' (a verb implying being fixed or projecting) with the directional particle 'out' which signals outward direction. This verb+particle composition is a regular, cross-linguistically common pattern in English phrasal verbs, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent meanings would likely infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Stick out (in the sense 'to endure') uses the image of stick (to hold on) and out (through to the end): imagine someone holding on to a post during a long storm and not giving up. That's why to 'stick out' means to continue through a hard time until it is over.