What is the act of sticking to something?

From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishstick to something phrasal verb1 PROMISEto do or keep doing what you said you would do or what you believe in, even when it is difficult SYN keep to  Have you been sticking to your diet?stick to your decision/principles etc  Miguel was determined to stick to his decision.  It looks as if Nick will stick to his word this time.2 CONTINUE/NOT STOPto keep using or doing one particular thing and not change to anything else  If you’re driving, stick to soft drinks.stick to doing something  Reporters should stick to investigating the facts.3 stick to your guns informalCHANGE YOUR MIND to refuse to change your mind about something, even though other people are trying to persuade you that you are wrong  Having made up his mind, he stuck to his guns.4 stick to the point/subject/factsSUBJECT to talk only about what you are supposed to be talking about or what is certain  Never mind whose fault it was. Just stick to the facts.5 stick to the rules informalOBEY to do something exactly according to the rules6 stick to the path/road etcCONTINUE/NOT STOP to stay on a marked path or road so that you do not get lost 7 stick to the/your story spokenCHANGE YOUR MIND# to continue to say that what you have told someone is true, even though they do not believe you  You intend to stick to this story that she knew nothing of your financial prospects?8 stick to the/your knitting American English informal to continue paying attention to your own work and not to get involved with what other people are doing  I wish Mrs Reese would stick to her knitting.9 stick it to somebody American English informal to make someone suffer, pay a high price etc  The politicians stick it to the tourists because the tourists don’t vote. stick→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpusstick to Northerners stick to brands, but hunt for bargains.His stand heartened anti-Communists like Ngo Dinh Diem, who urged him to stick to his position.And even the artists who stick to paper have mixed their media in other striking ways.You should stick to your topic sentence.stick to your decision/principles etcBut we have to stick to our principles.May we come to respect ourselves for sticking to our principles and living our lives with honesty and integrity.He is telling the church to stick to its principles and not get side tracked or become hypocritical.But John King has stuck to his principles and Rovers have strung together an impressive home record.Nizan stuck to his principles, but after 1939 he became a political refugee.She was not to know that Tina, sticking to her principles, had long ago slept with her cousin Jarvis.Had I stuck to my principles or had I simply followed orders? stick to doing somethingAnd even the artists who stick to paper have mixed their media in other striking ways.Electrostatic filters charge the incoming air so that the particles stick to an oppositely charged screen.His stand heartened anti-Communists like Ngo Dinh Diem, who urged him to stick to his position.Northerners stick to brands, but hunt for bargains.You should stick to your topic sentence.stick to the point/subject/factsBut caution is required where miracles come into play; let us stick to the facts.Try to stick to the subject of the row rather than bringing up 25 years' worth of misdemeanours."Please stick to the facts, " said the judge.stick to the rulesIt was all right if she was hours late, but Henry had to stick to the rules.Everyone in the party has a responsibility to stick to the rules agreed by the party conference.That government said at the summit it was sticking to the rules, and then suggested afterward it would not not.I'd stuck to the rules arid nothing had happened.Failure to stick to the safety rules could result in disaster.stick to the path/road etcThey clung to the towns, venturing out only by day, their big battalions sticking to the roads.So please stick to the path at this site and hopefully nothing else will need to be done.For now she stuck to the road which took her to the right, towards the sea.stick to the/your storyBring in the police, the press, the king himself, and I shall stick to my story.You do not have to stick to the story line.He had stuck to his story, that they'd quarrelled at the dance and he had left early.stick to the/your knittingThey want me to help make their lives trouble free so that they can stick to their knitting.stick it to somebodySet pastry over filling and press to stick it to edge of dish.When it comes to taxes, politicians like to stick it to the tourists.And if you don't like it, stick it to your pants as advertised.

Exercises

Exercises

  • Vocabulary exercises help you to learn synonyms, collocations and idioms.
  • Intermediate and Advanced level grammar practice with progress tests.
  • Listening and pronunciation, exam preparation and more!

Pictures of the day

What are these?

What is the act of sticking to something?
What is the act of sticking to something?

Click on the pictures to check.

Verb table

stick

Simple Form
Present
I, you, we, they stick
he, she, it sticks
> View More
Past
I, you, he, she, it, we, they stuck
Present perfect
I, you, we, they have stuck
he, she, it has stuck
Past perfect
I, you, he, she, it, we, they had stuck
Future
I, you, he, she, it, we, they will stick
Future perfect
I, you, he, she, it, we, they will have stuck
> View Less
Continuous Form
Present
I am sticking
he, she, it is sticking
> View More
you, we, they are sticking
Past
I, he, she, it was sticking
you, we, they were sticking
Present perfect
I, you, we, they have been sticking
he, she, it has been sticking
Past perfect
I, you, he, she, it, we, they had been sticking
Future
I, you, he, she, it, we, they will be sticking
Future perfect
I, you, he, she, it, we, they will have been sticking
> View Less

What is it called when you stick to something?

adhere (to), cling (to), hew (to), keep (to), stand by.

What is the meaning of sticking to something?

Definition of stick to 1 : to continue doing or using (something) especially when it is difficult to do so She stuck to her story about the money already being missing when she got there. Please stick to the script/subject/rules.

What is it called when someone holds onto something?

cling. verb. to hold onto someone or something tightly with your hands or arms, for example because you are afraid.