STICK TO

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does stick to mean? 

• STICK TO (verb)
  The verb STICK TO has 2 senses:

1. stick to firmly

2. keep to

  Familiarity information: STICK TO used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• STICK TO (verb)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Stick to firmly

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

adhere; bind; bond; hold fast; stick; stick to

Context example:

Will this wallpaper adhere to the wall?

Hypernyms (to "stick to" is one way to...):

attach (become attached)

Verb group:

adhere; cleave; cling; cohere; stick (come or be in close contact with; stick or hold together and resist separation)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "stick to"):

bind (form a chemical bond with)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Something is ----ing PP

Sense 2

Meaning:

Keep to

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

follow; stick to; stick with

Context example:

stick to the diet

Hypernyms (to "stick to" is one way to...):

hang in; hang on; hold on; persevere; persist (be persistent, refuse to stop)

Verb group:

abide by; comply; follow (act in accordance with someone's rules, commands, or wishes)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s VERB-ing

 Context examples 

LDL carries cholesterol to the cells that need to make use of it, but if its levels are too high, it can stick to the arteries, leading to all manner of cardiovascular problems.

(Low Levels of Bad Cholesterol Increase Stroke Risk, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

So we must stick to the open all we can.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Curse this trick of French, which will stick to my throat.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

But if you have too much in your blood, it can combine with other substances in the blood and stick to the walls of your arteries.

(Cholesterol, NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)

I still stick to my opinion.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Underneath this bone-dry top layer lies a thin transition layer, then a hydrated layer, where water molecules likely stick to bits of soil and rock, called regolith.

(Meteoroid Strikes Eject Precious Water From Moon, NASA)

In the case of Alzheimer’s disease, the amyloid-beta molecules stick to the lipid cell membranes that contain cholesterol.

(Brain cholesterol associated with increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease, University of Cambridge)

Platinum will not stick to the plastic micro-doughnuts, but nickel will, and platinum will stick to nickel.

(Tiny swimming 'doughnuts' deliver the biomedical goods, National Science Foundation)

With Saturn, you will not have the option to stick to the status quo.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

But I have named that price, so I intend to stick to it.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)