TOP

Definition of stick noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

stick

noun
 
 
/stɪk/
 
/stɪk/
Idioms
jump to other results

    from tree

  1.  
     [countable] a thin piece of wood that has fallen or been broken from a tree
    • We collected dry sticks to start a fire.
    • He said he was beaten with a stick.
    • The boys were throwing sticks and stones at the dog.
    • Her arms and legs were like sticks (= very thin).
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • big
    • long
    • little
    • …
    … of sticks
    • bundle
    • pile
    verb + stick
    • carry
    • hold
    • wield
    • …
    See full entry
    2.

    for walking

  2. (especially British English)
    (also walking stick British and North American English)
    [countable] a stick that you carry and use as a support when you are walking
    • He walks with a stick these days, but he still gets about.
    • The old lady leant on her stick as she talked.
    see also shooting stick, white stick

    3. in sport

  3. [countable] a long, thin object that is used in some sports to hit or control the ball
    • a hockey stick
    Topics Sports: ball and racket sportsa2

    4. long thin piece

  4.  
     [countable] (often in compounds) stick (of something) a long, thin piece of something
    • The man had sticks of dynamite strapped to his chest.
    • a stick of gum
    • carrot/cinnamon/celery sticks
    • (North American English) a stick of butter
    • The savoury dips were served with sticks of carrot and celery.
    see also crab stick, fish stick, French stick
  5. [countable] (often in compounds) a thin piece of wood or plastic that you use for a particular purpose
    • pieces of pineapple on sticks
    • The men were carrying spades and measuring sticks.
    • I used a selfie stick to take the picture.
    see also chopstick, cocktail stick, drumstick, joss stick, matchstick, Memory Stick™, selfie stick, yardstick

    6. container of glue

  6. [countable] a quantity of a substance, such as solid glue (= a sticky substance), that is sold in a small container with round ends and straight sides, and can be pushed further out of the container as it is used see also lipstick

    7. in plane/vehicle

  7. [countable] (especially North American English, informal) a stick with a handle in a plane that is used to control direction or height see also joystickTopics Transport by airc1
  8. [countable] (especially North American English, informal) a handle used to change the gears of a vehicle see also gear lever, stick shift

    9. for orchestra

  9. [countable] a baton, used by the person who conducts an orchestra

    10. criticism

  10. [uncountable] (British English, informal) criticism or severe words
    • The referee got a lot of stick from the home fans.
    11.

    country areas

  11. the sticks
     [plural] (informal, usually disapproving) country areas, a long way from cities
    • We live out in the sticks.
    12.

    person

  12. [countable] (British English, old-fashioned, informal) a person
    • He's not such a bad old stick.
    13. see also non-stick
    Word Originnoun Old English sticca ‘peg, stick, spoon’, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch stek ‘cutting from a plant’ and German Stecken ‘staff, stick’.
Idioms
be (caught) in a cleft stick
  1. to be in a difficult situation when any action you take will have bad results
the big stick
  1. (informal) the use or threat of force or power
    • The authorities used quiet persuasion instead of the big stick.
    CultureThe phrase was made popular by President Theodore Roosevelt, who said that the US government should 'speak softly and carry a big stick'.
the carrot and (the) stick (approach)
  1. if you use the carrot and stick approach, you persuade somebody to try harder by offering them a reward if they do, or a punishment if they do not
    • The emphasis is on the carrot of incentive rather than the stick of taxes.
    Extra Examples
    • to adopt the carrot-and-stick approach
    • He decided to use the carrot and stick approach.
get the short end of the stick (North American English)
(British English draw the short straw)
  1. to be the person in a group who is chosen or forced to perform an unpleasant duty or task
get (hold of) the wrong end of the stick
  1. (British English, informal) to understand something in the wrong way
a rod/stick to beat somebody with
  1. a fact, an argument, etc. that is used in order to blame or punish somebodyTopics Opinion and argumentc2
up sticks (British English)
(North American English pull up stakes)
  1. (informal) to suddenly move from your house and go to live somewhere else
    • He upped sticks and went back to France.
See stick in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
Check pronunciation: stick

Nearby words

buttercup
noun
 
 
From the Topic
Plants and trees
C2
Oxford Learner's Dictionaries Word of the Day