stick
IPA: stˈɪk
noun
- An elongated piece of wood or similar material, typically put to some use, for example as a wand or baton.
- A small, thin branch from a tree or bush; a twig; a branch.
- A relatively long, thin piece of wood, of any size.
- (US) A timber board, especially a two by four (inches).
- A cane or walking stick (usually wooden, metal or plastic) to aid in walking.
- A cudgel or truncheon (usually of wood, metal or plastic), especially one carried by police or guards.
- (carpentry) The vertical member of a cope-and-stick joint.
- (nautical) A mast or part of a mast of a ship; also, a yard.
- (figuratively) A piece (of furniture, especially if wooden).
- Any roughly cylindrical (or rectangular) unit of a substance.
- (chiefly Canada, US) A small rectangular block, with a length several times its width, which contains by volume one half of a cup of shortening (butter, margarine or lard).
- A standard rectangular strip of chewing gum.
- (slang) A cigarette (usually a tobacco cigarette, less often a marijuana cigarette).
- Material or objects attached to a stick or the like.
- A bunch of something wrapped around or attached to a stick.
- (archaic) A scroll that is rolled around (mounted on, attached to) a stick.
- (military) The structure to which a set of bombs in a bomber aircraft are attached and which drops the bombs when it is released. The bombs themselves and, by extension, any load of similar items dropped in quick succession such as paratroopers or containers.
- A tool, control, or instrument shaped somewhat like a stick.
- (US, colloquial) A manual transmission, a vehicle equipped with a manual transmission, so called because of the stick-like, i.e. twig-like, control (the gear shift) with which the driver of such a vehicle controls its transmission.
- (US, colloquial, uncountable) Vehicles, collectively, equipped with manual transmissions.
- (aviation) The control column of an aircraft; a joystick. (By convention, a wheel-like control mechanism with a handgrip on opposite sides, similar to the steering wheel of an automobile, can also be called the "stick", although "yoke" or "control wheel" is more commonly seen.)
- (aviation, uncountable) Use of the stick to control the aircraft.
- (video games) A joystick.
- (computing) A memory stick.
- (slang) A handgun.
- (dated, letterpress typography) A composing stick, the tool used by compositors to assemble lines of type.
- (jazz, slang) The clarinet.
- (sports) A stick-like item:
- (sports, generically) A long thin implement used to control a ball or puck in sports like hockey, polo, and lacrosse.
- (horse racing) The short whip carried by a jockey.
- (boardsports) A board as used in board sports, such as a surfboard, snowboard, or skateboard.
- (golf) The pole bearing a small flag that marks the hole.
- (US, slang, uncountable) The cue used in billiards, pool, snooker, etc.
- The game of pool, or an individual pool game.
- (sports, uncountable) Ability; specifically:
- (golf) The long-range driving ability of a golf club.
- (baseball) The potential hitting power of a specific bat.
- (baseball) General hitting ability.
- (field hockey or ice hockey) The potential accuracy of a hockey stick, implicating also the player using it.
- (slang, dated) A person or group of people. (Perhaps, in some senses, because people are, broadly speaking, tall and thin, like pieces of wood.)
- A thin or wiry person; particularly a flat-chested woman.
- (magic) An assistant planted in the audience.
- (gambling) A shill or house player.
- A stiff, stupidly obstinate person.
- (military aviation, from joystick) A fighter pilot.
- (military, South Africa) A small group of (infantry) soldiers.
- Encouragement or punishment, or (resulting) vigour or other improved behavior.
- (figurative) A negative stimulus or a punishment. (This sense derives from the metaphor of using a stick, a long piece of wood, to poke or beat a beast of burden to compel it to move forward.)
- (slang, uncountable) Corporal punishment; beatings.
- (slang) Vigor; spirit; effort, energy, intensity.
- (slang) Vigorous driving of a car; gas.
- A measure.
- (obsolete) An English Imperial unit of length equal to 2 inches.
- (archaic, rare) A quantity of eels, usually 25.
- (uncountable) The tendency to stick (remain stuck), stickiness.
- (motor racing) The traction of tires on the road surface.
- (uncountable) That which sticks (remains attached to another surface).
- (fishing) The amount of fishing line resting on the water surface before a cast; line stick.
- (countable) A thrust with a pointed instrument; a stab.
- (Britain) Criticism or ridicule.
- (Ireland) A member of the Official IRA.
- (music) The Chapman Stick, an electric musical instrument devised by Emmett Chapman.
verb
- (carpentry) To cut a piece of wood to be the stick member of a cope-and-stick joint.
- (transitive, printing, slang, dated) To compose; to set, or arrange, in a composing stick.
- (transitive) To furnish or set with sticks.
- To hit with a stick.
- (intransitive) To become or remain attached; to adhere.
- (intransitive) To jam; to stop moving.
- (transitive) To tolerate, to endure, to stick with.
- (intransitive) To persist.
- (intransitive) Of snow, to remain frozen on landing.
- (intransitive) To remain loyal; to remain firm.
- (dated, intransitive) To hesitate, to be reluctant; to refuse (in negative phrases).
- (dated, intransitive) To be puzzled (at something), have difficulty understanding.
- (dated, intransitive) To cause difficulties, scruples, or hesitation.
- (transitive) To attach with glue or as if by gluing.
- (transitive) To place, set down (quickly or carelessly).
- (transitive) To press (something with a sharp point) into something else.
- (transitive, now only in dialects) To stab.
- (transitive) To fix on a pointed instrument; to impale.
- (transitive, archaic) To adorn or deck with things fastened on as by piercing.
- (transitive, gymnastics) To perform (a landing) perfectly.
- (botany, transitive) To propagate plants by cuttings.
- (transitive, joinery) To run or plane (mouldings) in a machine, in contradistinction to working them by hand. Such mouldings are said to be stuck.
- (dated, transitive) To bring to a halt; to stymie; to puzzle.
- (transitive, slang, dated) To impose upon; to compel to pay; sometimes, to cheat.
- (intransitive, US, slang) To have sexual intercourse with.
- (intransitive, blackjack, chiefly UK) To stand pat: to cease taking any more cards and finalize one's hand.
adjective
- (informal) Likely to stick; sticking, sticky.
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Examples of "stick" in Sentences
- But Leaders Without a Title stick to their knitting.
- Then the can is put through a drying compartment to make the label stick quickly.
- Give us examples of how he is a Maverick instead of just trying to make the label stick!
- The witch took the stick, waved it at the girl and said: "then this is your fortune; _through the woods and through the woods and out with a crooked stick_.
- The vote in the legislature is veto-proof, so any request for Jindal to veto the bill *must stress that the governor can make this veto stick if he wants it to stick*.
- Compare also _He made the stick bend_ -- equaling _He made-bend _ (= bent) _the stick_ -- with _He made the stick straight_ -- equaling _He made-straight _ (= straightened) _the stick_.
- I don't recollect how long he held the office, but it was long enough to make the title stick to him for the rest of his life with the tenacity of a militia colonelcy or village diaconate.
- In the text pages of this comic, Feazell made readers an offer no longer good, I am guessing to send a free mini-comic to anyone who sent in their own drawing of the title stick-figure character, along with an SASE.
- An "ideal" BMI sufferer putting on a few pounds of muscle by doing some judicious exercise might well stave off death for a bit longer; simply gorging on cakes probably won't help. recent calls for a BMI tax are now further exposed as foolishness, and the "fat people" that he rashly proposes to attack with a stick (any time, Coren - better make it a big stick*) have the consolation of knowing that they'll probably outlive him.
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