stick
sticks; sticking; sticked
A stick is either a short length of wood—part of a tree branch—or an implement made of wood, like a hockey stick, a walking stick, or the sticks you use to play a drum.
There's also the much shorter popsicle stick or lollipop stick, as well as an airplane pilot's joy stick, a stick of butter, and a long, thin piece of something, like a stick of dynamite or cinnamon. As a verb, stick means "pierce," "fix," or "stay." So you can stick a pin in a balloon, stick a sticker on a window, or stick around your classroom after math class is over.
Definitions of stick
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a long thin implement resembling a length of wood“cinnamon sticks”“a stick of dynamite”
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type of:
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implement
instrumentation (a piece of equipment or tool) used to effect an end
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implement
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an implement consisting of a length of wood“he collected dry sticks for a campfire”“the kid had a candied apple on a stick”
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types:
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bow
a slightly curved piece of resilient wood with taut horsehair strands; used in playing certain stringed instruments
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club
stout stick that is larger at one end
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divining rod, dowser, dowsing rod, water finder, waterfinder
forked stick that is said to dip down to indicate underground water or oil
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drumstick
a stick used for playing a drum
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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
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matchstick
a short thin stick of wood used in making matches
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mahlstick, maulstick
a long stick that a painter uses to support the hand holding the brush
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backsword, fencing stick, singlestick
a stick used instead of a sword for fencing
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spindle
a stick or pin used to twist the yarn in spinning
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staff
a strong rod or stick with a specialized utilitarian purpose
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stob
a short straight stick of wood
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swizzle stick
a small stick used to stir mixed drinks
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walking stick
a stick carried in the hand for support in walking
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alpenstock
a stout staff with a metal point; used by mountain climbers
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bat
a club used for hitting a ball in various games
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baton
a short staff carried by some officials to symbolize an office or an authority
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bludgeon
a club used as a weapon
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cane
a stick that people can lean on to help them walk
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crook, shepherd's crook
a long staff with one end being hook shaped
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crutch
a wooden or metal staff that fits under the armpit and reaches to the ground; used by disabled person while walking
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cudgel
a club that is used as a weapon
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distaff
the staff on which wool or flax is wound before spinning
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fiddlestick, violin bow
a bow used in playing the violin
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flagpole, flagstaff
a tall staff or pole on which a flag is raised
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Indian club
a bottle-shaped club used in exercises
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knobkerrie, knobkerry
a short wooden club with a heavy knob on one end; used by aborigines in southern Africa
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lathee, lathi
club consisting of a heavy stick (often bamboo) bound with iron; used by police in India
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hammer, mallet
a light drumstick with a rounded head that is used to strike such percussion instruments as chimes, kettledrums, marimbas, glockenspiels, etc.
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pikestaff
the staff of a pike
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quarterstaff
a long stout staff used as a weapon
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supplejack
walking stick made from the wood of an American tropical vine
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baton, billy, billy club, billystick, nightstick, truncheon
a short stout club used primarily by police officers
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mace
a heavy war club, typically with a spiked metal head
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type of:
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implement
instrumentation (a piece of equipment or tool) used to effect an end
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a small thin branch of a tree
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type of:
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limb, tree branch
any of the main branches arising from the trunk or a bough of a tree
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limb, tree branch
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a lever used by a pilot to control the ailerons and elevators of an airplane
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synonyms:
control stick, joystick
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type of:
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lever
a rigid bar pivoted about a fulcrum
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lever
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a long implement (usually made of wood) that is shaped so that hockey or polo players can hit a puck or ball
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types:
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hockey stick
sports implement consisting of a stick used by hockey players to move the puck
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polo mallet, polo stick
a mallet used to strike the ball in polo
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type of:
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sports equipment
equipment needed to participate in a particular sport
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hockey stick
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informal terms for the leg
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threat of a penalty“the policy so far is all stick and no carrot”
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type of:
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penalisation, penalization, penalty, punishment, sanction
the act of punishing
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penalisation, penalization, penalty, punishment, sanction
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put, fix, force, or implant
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pierce or penetrate or puncture with something pointed
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pierce with a thrust using a pointed instrument
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stay put (in a certain place)“Stick around and you will learn something!”
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synonyms:
stay, stay put, stick around
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Antonyms:
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move
change residence, affiliation, or place of employment
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type of:
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stay in place
be stationary
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move
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be or become fixed“The door sticks--we will have to plane it”
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type of:
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be
have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun)
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be
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cover and decorate with objects that pierce the surface
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come or be in close contact with; stick or hold together and resist separation“The label stuck to the box”
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types:
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mold
fit tightly, follow the contours of
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conglutinate
stick together
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agglutinate
clump together; as of bacteria, red blood cells, etc.
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haemagglutinate, hemagglutinate
cause the clumping together (of red blood cells)
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stick to firmly
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fasten with an adhesive material like glue
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fasten into place by fixing an end or point into something“stick the corner of the sheet under the mattress”
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type of:
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fasten
become fixed or fastened
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fasten
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fasten with or as with pins or nails“stick the photo onto the corkboard”
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type of:
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fasten
become fixed or fastened
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fasten
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be loyal to
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be a devoted follower or supporter
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endure
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saddle with something disagreeable or disadvantageous
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a rectangular quarter pound block of butter or margarine
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marijuana leaves rolled into a cigarette for smoking
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type of:
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butt, cigaret, cigarette, coffin nail, fag
finely ground tobacco wrapped in paper; for smoking
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butt, cigaret, cigarette, coffin nail, fag
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be a mystery or bewildering to“This question really stuck me”
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synonyms:
amaze, baffle, beat, bewilder, dumbfound, flummox, get, gravel, mystify, nonplus, perplex, pose, puzzle, stupefy, vex
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types:
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mix up, stump
cause to be perplexed or confounded
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riddle
set a difficult problem or riddle
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elude, escape
be incomprehensible to; escape understanding by
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defy, refuse, resist
elude, especially in a baffling way
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘stick'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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