stick
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: enpr: stĭk
ipa: /stɪk/
homophone: stich
rhymes: -ɪk
Forms: form: sticks
Etymology: From Middle English stikke (“stick, rod, twig”), from Old English sticca (“rod, twig”), from Proto-West Germanic *stikkō, from Proto-Germanic *stikkô, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)teyg- (“to pierce, prick, be sharp”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Stikke (“stick”), West Flemish stik (“stick”), German Low German Stick (“stick”). Related to stigma.
Senses: examples: text: The beaver's dam was made out of sticks.
text: Energy has seldom been found where we need it when we want it. Ancient nomads, wishing to ward off the evening chill and enjoy a meal around a campfire, had to collect wood and then spend time and effort coaxing the heat of friction out from between sticks to kindle a flame.
ref: 2013 July-August, Henry Petroski, “Geothermal Energy”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 4:
glosses: 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.
synonyms: word: branch
word: twig
word: rice
word: kindling
word: brush
examples: text: I found several good sticks in the brush heap.
text: What do you call a boomerang that won't come back? A stick.
text: It is a fine stick, about 70 feet long.
ref: 1887 August 23, “At Work on the Thistle”, in The New York Times:
glosses: An elongated piece of wood or similar material, typically put to some use, for example as a wand or baton.
A relatively long, thin piece of wood, of any size.
examples: text: I found enough sticks in dumpsters at construction sites to build my shed.
glosses: An elongated piece of wood or similar material, typically put to some use, for example as a wand or baton.
A timber board, especially a two by four (inches).
synonyms: two by four
examples: text: I don’t need my stick to walk, but it’s helpful.
text: The slightest effort made the patient cough. He would stand leaning on a stick and holding a hand to his side, and when the paroxysm had passed it left him shaking.
ref: 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XXIII, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
glosses: An elongated piece of wood or similar material, typically put to some use, for example as a wand or baton.
A cane or walking stick (usually wooden, metal or plastic) to aid in walking.
synonyms: cane
walking stick
examples: text: As soon as the fight started, the guards came in swinging their sticks.
glosses: An elongated piece of wood or similar material, typically put to some use, for example as a wand or baton.
A cudgel or truncheon (usually of wood, metal or plastic), especially one carried by police or guards.
examples: text: When cutting the door parts, I cut all the copes first, then the sticks.
ref: 1997, Joseph Beals, “Building Interior Doors”, in Doors, Taunton Press, →ISBN, page 82:
topics: business
carpentry
construction
manufacturing
glosses: An elongated piece of wood or similar material, typically put to some use, for example as a wand or baton.
The vertical member of a cope-and-stick joint.
topics: nautical
transport
glosses: An elongated piece of wood or similar material, typically put to some use, for example as a wand or baton.
A mast or part of a mast of a ship; also, a yard.
examples: text: We were so poor we didn't have one stick of furniture.
text: It is more than poor Philip is worth, with all his savings and his little sticks of furniture.
ref: 1862, W.M. Thackeray, The Adventures of Philip, printed in Harper's New Monthly Magazine volume XXV edition, page 242:
glosses: An elongated piece of wood or similar material, typically put to some use, for example as a wand or baton.
A piece (of furniture, especially if wooden).
synonyms: piece
item
examples: text: Sealing wax is available as a cylindrical or rectangular stick.
glosses: Any roughly cylindrical (or rectangular) unit of a substance.
examples: text: The recipe calls for half a stick of butter.
glosses: Any roughly cylindrical (or rectangular) unit of a substance.
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).
examples: text: Don’t hog all that gum, give me a stick!
glosses: Any roughly cylindrical (or rectangular) unit of a substance.
A standard rectangular strip of chewing gum.
examples: text: Cigarettes are taxed at one dollar per stick.
glosses: Any roughly cylindrical (or rectangular) unit of a substance.
A cigarette (usually a tobacco cigarette, less often a marijuana cigarette).
synonyms: joint
reefer
examples: text: My parents bought us each a stick of cotton candy.
glosses: Material or objects attached to a stick or the like.
A bunch of something wrapped around or attached to a stick.
examples: text: Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it[…]
ref: 1611, The Bible, King James Version edition, Ezekiel 37:16:
glosses: Material or objects attached to a stick or the like.
A scroll that is rolled around (mounted on, attached to) a stick.
examples: text: Scores of transport planes streamed in to drop stick after stick of containers until the entire sky over the coast was polka-dotted with brightly coloured parachutes.
ref: 2001, Raymond Mitchell, Commando Despatch Rider, →ISBN, page 70:
text: A stick of bombs fell straight across Wotton; blew up half a dozen houses.
ref: 2006, Farley Mowat, Aftermath: Travels in a Post-War World, →ISBN, page 200:
text: James and I were in the same stick of five guys going through free fall school last September.
ref: 2006, Holly Aho, From Here to There, →ISBN, page 48:
topics: government
military
politics
war
glosses: Material or objects attached to a stick or the like.
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.
synonyms: train
examples: text: I grew up driving a stick, but many people my age didn't.
glosses: A tool, control, or instrument shaped somewhat like a stick.
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.
synonyms: stickshift
gearstick
examples: text: I grew up driving stick, but many people my age didn't.
glosses: A tool, control, or instrument shaped somewhat like a stick.
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.
Vehicles, collectively, equipped with manual transmissions.
synonyms: stickshift
gearstick
topics: aeronautics
aerospace
aviation
business
engineering
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
glosses: A tool, control, or instrument shaped somewhat like a stick.
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.)
examples: text: For example: in making a turn, should you throw on too much stick and not enough rudder, you'll sideslip.
ref: 1941, Jay D. Blaufox, 33 Lessons in Flying, page 47:
topics: aeronautics
aerospace
aviation
business
engineering
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
glosses: A tool, control, or instrument shaped somewhat like a stick.
Use of the stick to control the aircraft.
topics: government
military
politics
war
glosses: A tool, control, or instrument shaped somewhat like a stick.
An aircraft’s propeller.
examples: text: When you’re swooping, looping, and diving with the analog stick (either using the nunchuk or the Classic controller), the game feels very much like its 32-bit predecessor; […]
ref: 2007 December 23, Chris Hoffman, “Neverending Nights”, in Nintendo Power, volume 222, page 30:
topics: video-games
glosses: A tool, control, or instrument shaped somewhat like a stick.
A joystick.
examples: text: For ultimate presentation portability, a Powerpoint can be saved to a stick as images.
ref: 2007 May 1, Alex Fethiere, “Business Traveler”, in Tech front: Alex Fethiere takes eleven notable portables for a high-tech test-drive:
topics: computing
engineering
mathematics
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
sciences
glosses: A tool, control, or instrument shaped somewhat like a stick.
A memory stick.
examples: text: A stick in the hand, a drop in the eye.
ref: 2007 September 18, “Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya”, in Joseph B. Geoghegan (lyrics), The Meanest of Times, performed by Dropkick Murphys:
text: You think you’re real now you’ve got a couple sticks? My favourite younger, he got stabbed in my bits. And if he died fam, I promise I’d have quit.
ref: 2013 April 8, “Off the Record”, in Topic of Discussion, performed by Yungen:
text: Bitch, pig, pull out with the stick / everything I hit like a lick/ We don’t miss
ref: 2018 July 27, “Strip Talk”, Marty Mula (lyrics), 1:52:
glosses: A tool, control, or instrument shaped somewhat like a stick.
A handgun.
examples: text: […]although the headings may often be in other type, still, as these are composed in the same stick, they cannot fail to justify;[…]
ref: 1854, Thomas Ford, The Compositor's Handbook, page 125:
topics: letterpress-typography
media
publishing
typography
glosses: A tool, control, or instrument shaped somewhat like a stick.
A composing stick, the tool used by compositors to assemble lines of type.
examples: text: Arsene, boy, ain't you worried about your clarinet? Where'd you leave that stick, man?
ref: 1948, Frederic Ramsey, Jr., “Deep Sea Rider”, in Charles Harvey, editor, Jazz Parody: Anthology of Jazz Fiction:
glosses: A tool, control, or instrument shaped somewhat like a stick.
The clarinet.
synonyms: licorice stick
liquorice stick
qualifier: jazz
examples: text: Tripping with the stick is a violation of the rules.
topics: hobbies
lifestyle
sports
glosses: A stick-like item:
A long thin implement used to control a ball or puck in sports like hockey, polo, and lacrosse.
qualifier: generically
topics: hobbies
horse-racing
horseracing
horses
lifestyle
pets
racing
sports
glosses: A stick-like item:
The short whip carried by a jockey.
topics: hobbies
lifestyle
sports
glosses: A stick-like item:
A board as used in board sports, such as a surfboard, snowboard, or skateboard.
examples: text: His wedge shot bounced off the stick and went in the hole.
topics: golf
hobbies
lifestyle
sports
glosses: A stick-like item:
The pole bearing a small flag that marks the hole.
synonyms: pin
flagstick
examples: text: His stroke with that two-piece stick is a good as anybody's in the club.
topics: hobbies
lifestyle
sports
glosses: A stick-like item:
The cue used in billiards, pool, snooker, etc.
examples: text: He shoots a mean stick of pool.
text: Come in, have a good time, drink some beer, shoot some stick, listen to some music.
ref: 2003, Lew Bryson, New York Breweries, →ISBN, page 74:
topics: hobbies
lifestyle
sports
glosses: A stick-like item:
The cue used in billiards, pool, snooker, etc.
The game of pool, or an individual pool game.
examples: text: I doubted that the three iron was enough stick.
ref: 1988, William Hallberg, The Rub of the Green, page 219:
topics: golf
hobbies
lifestyle
sports
glosses: Ability; specifically:
The long-range driving ability of a golf club.
topics: ball-games
baseball
games
hobbies
lifestyle
sports
glosses: Ability; specifically:
The potential hitting power of a specific bat.
examples: text: Vaughn has to hit and keep hitting or this will be another year when the Mets don't have enough stick to win.
ref: 2002 May 19, Mike Lupica, “Just Need A Little Mo”, in New York Daily News:
topics: ball-games
baseball
games
hobbies
lifestyle
sports
glosses: Ability; specifically:
General hitting ability.
topics: hobbies
lifestyle
sports
glosses: Ability; specifically:
The potential accuracy of a hockey stick, implicating also the player using it.
qualifier: field hockey or ice hockey
examples: text: Your father's a great old stick. He's really been very good to me.
ref: 1967, Maurice Shadbolt, The Presence of Music: Three Novellas, page 54:
text: “[…]He’s a good doctor but an odd stick—odder by far than I am, Emily, and yet nobody ever says he’s not all there. Can you account for that? He doesn’t believe in God—and I am not such a fool as that.”
ref: 1923, Lucy Maud Montgomery, “Chapter 7”, in Emily of New Moon:
glosses: A person or group of people. (Perhaps, in some senses, because people are, broadly speaking, tall and thin, like pieces of wood.)
examples: text: "She's a stick, this one. She lacks your—" he patted her left breast— "equipment."
ref: 1967, Cecelia Holland, Rakóssy, page 39:
glosses: 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.
examples: text: The kid was a stick, a plant, a student from UNLV who picked up a few bucks nightly by saying the words "seven of hearts."
ref: 2001, Paul Quarrington, The Spirit Cabinet, page 255:
glosses: A person or group of people. (Perhaps, in some senses, because people are, broadly speaking, tall and thin, like pieces of wood.)
An assistant planted in the audience.
synonyms: plant
shill
qualifier: magic
examples: text: A shill is also called a stick, and the role of the shill or stick is to make the customer relax and feel at ease.
ref: 2011, Howard Fast, Helen:
topics: gambling
games
glosses: A person or group of people. (Perhaps, in some senses, because people are, broadly speaking, tall and thin, like pieces of wood.)
A shill or house player.
glosses: A person or group of people. (Perhaps, in some senses, because people are, broadly speaking, tall and thin, like pieces of wood.)
A stiff, stupidly obstinate person.
examples: text: Bill Kirk, described by Robin as a "hell of a stick," didn't even attend college until after the Vietnam War.
ref: 2001, John Darrell Sherwood, Fast Movers: America's Jet Pilots and the Vietnam Experience, page 30:
topics: aeronautics
aerospace
aviation
business
engineering
government
military
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
politics
war
glosses: A person or group of people. (Perhaps, in some senses, because people are, broadly speaking, tall and thin, like pieces of wood.)
A fighter pilot.
raw_tags: from joystick
examples: text: I remember when we dreaded the rain, as our stick of soldiers walked through the damp, tick-infested long grass of the Zambezi valley,[…]
ref: 2007, Bart Wolffe, Persona Non Grata, →ISBN, page 245:
topics: government
military
politics
war
glosses: A person or group of people. (Perhaps, in some senses, because people are, broadly speaking, tall and thin, like pieces of wood.)
A small group of (infantry) soldiers.
examples: text: We were tempted with the carrot but subtly threatened with the stick.
text: What about contempt? Isn't it used by the judiciary as a stick to dissuade people from writing or talking about them?
ref: 1998 January 23, “Judicial activism has ushered in hope”, in Indian Express:
text: Back in 2009, when Democrats tried but failed to take significant climate action, their policy proposals consisted mainly of sticks—limits on emissions in the form of permits that businesses could buy and sell.
ref: 2023 August 7, Paul Krugman, “Climate Is Now a Culture War Issue”, in The New York Times:
glosses: Encouragement or punishment, or (resulting) vigour or other improved behavior.
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.)
coordinate_terms: carrot
examples: text: The child killers got some stick. I saw a woman throw a basin of scalding water over a baby killer.
ref: 1999, Eve McDougall, A Wicked Fist, →ISBN, page 69:
text: “[…] Nigel used the word ‘invasion’ for a long time and got a huge amount of stick […]” he says, referring to the total number of men, women and children who have arrived by small boat in the past seven years.
ref: 2025 August 2, Anna Gross, quoting Zia Yusuf, “Lunch with the FT: Zia Yusuf”, in FT Weekend, Life & Arts, page 3:
glosses: Encouragement or punishment, or (resulting) vigour or other improved behavior.
Corporal punishment, beatings; (figurative) criticism.
examples: text: He really gave that digging some stick.
translation: He threw himself into the task of digging.
english: He threw himself into the task of digging.
text: She really gave that bully some stick.
translation: She berated him.
english: She berated him.
text: Give it some stick!
text: 'Choir gave it some stick on "Unto Us a Son is Born."' ¶ Cynthia nodded. ¶ 'It was always one of Russell's favourites. He makes them try hard on that.'
ref: 1979, Don Bannister, Sam Chard, →ISBN, page 185:
glosses: Encouragement or punishment, or (resulting) vigour or other improved behavior.
Vigor; spirit; effort, energy, intensity.
examples: text: Skunk really gave it some stick all the way to Caliban's place, we passed a good few Coppers but they all seemed to turn the blind eye.
ref: 2006, Martyn J. Pass, Dani Pass, Waiting for Red, →ISBN, page 163:
glosses: Encouragement or punishment, or (resulting) vigour or other improved behavior.
Vigorous driving of a car; gas.
examples: text: There was another speech in that day's news — a speech which The Times printed on the front page because it was part of a front-page story, and in full — it was only two sticks long; printed in full just after the much longer invocation by the officiating clergyman […]
ref: 1921, Elmer Davis, History of the New York Times, 1851-1921, page 61:
glosses: A measure.
An English Imperial unit of length equal to 2 inches.
examples: text: The stick is employed for eels, and contained twenty-five.
ref: 1866, James Edwin Thorold Rogers, A History of Agriculture and Prices in England, →ISBN, Volume 1, page 171:
text: In the same charter, Nigel granted another 10 sticks of eels yielded by the fishery of Polwere to the abbey[…]
ref: 1999, Claire Breay, The Cartulary of Chatteris Abbey, →ISBN, page 62:
glosses: A measure.
A quantity of eels, usually 25.
synonyms: stich
broach
topics: computing
engineering
mathematics
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
sciences
glosses: Any of the eight 16-character groups making up the 128 characters of the 7-bit ASCII character set.
Synonyms: word: stick
word: twig
Hyponyms: word: bar
word: cane
word: rod
word: pole
word: stake
word: staff
word: stalk
word: needle
word: pin
word: nail
word: spike
word: match
word: toothpick
word: skewer
word: knitting needle
word: pencil
word: pen
word: marker
word: highlighter
word: trunk
word: lever
word: axle
word: spindle
word: club
word: cudgel
word: truncheon
word: baton
word: bludgeon
word: post
word: beam
word: mast
word: flagpole
word: flagstaff
word: stud
word: dowel
word: plank
word: girder
word: joist
word: stile
word: screw
word: bolt
word: shank
word: shaft
word: spar
word: sprit
word: stave
word: yard
word: gaff
word: rung
word: column
word: pillar
word: newel
word: leg
word: stanchion
word: baluster
word: banister
word: spoke
word: jamb
word: goal post
word: crossbar
word: stilt
word: hockey stick
word: drumstick
word: chopstick
word: walking stick
word: alpenstock
word: bergstock
word: Penang lawyer
word: wand
word: yardstick
Derived terms: analog stick
a stick in a bundle cannot be broken
a stick in a bundle is unbreakable
ball and stick
ball-and-stick model
balloon stick
bangstick
beat off with a stick
beat with the ugly stick
beer stick
better than a poke in the eye with a burnt stick
better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick
better than a poke in the eye with a shitty stick
between the sticks
big stick
bin stick
bite stick
bug-on-a-stick
bully stick
button stick
cabbage on a stick
cancer stick
candlestick
carrot and stick
carrot-and-stick
catstick
center stick
Chapman stick
chapstick
cheese stick
chewing stick
chew stick
Chinese fighting stick
chopstick
Christ on a stick
cinnamon stick
cleft stick
clue stick
cocktail stick
composing stick
control stick
coup stick
crabstick
crap on a stick
cross as two sticks
croupier's stick
croupier stick
curling stick
cut one's stick
cut stick
dandy's stick
dandy stick
data stick
dead stick
death stick
deep stick
devil sticks
digging stick
dingle stick
dipping stick
dipstick
disco stick
dope stick
dope-stick
dressing stick
drive stick
drumstick
every stick has two ends
fair suck of the sauce stick
feather stick
fighting stick
fight stick
fire-stick
fish stick
flat stick
flax-stick
flower sticks
folding-stick
folding stick
foot stick
fortune stick
French stick
funkstick
gas on a stick
gearstick
get on the stick
giggle stick
give stick
glow stick
glue stick
goad stick
gob stick
goon stick
gum stick
gun-stick
gutter stick
hair stick
heaven on a stick
heel stick
high-stick
high-sticking
hit with the stupid stick
hockey stick
holy crap on a stick
honey stick
hoopstick
idiot stick
in a cleft stick
incense stick
in quick sticks
in the sticks
it is easy to find a stick to beat a dog
Jesus H. Christ on a popsicle stick
joss stick
joystick
keep one's stick on the ice
lacrosse stick
ladystick
like a monkey on a stick
like breaking sticks
lipstick
locust stick
love stick
make a stick for one's own back
matchstick
measure stick
meat stick
memory stick
mesh stick
message stick
meter stick
metre stick
mint stick
monkey on a stick
monkey stick
moon on a stick
mop stick
mop-stick
more than one can poke a stick at
more than one can shake a stick at
more than you can shake a stick at
morning sticks
mozzarella stick
musicstick
musk stick
nigger stick
nightstick
noise stick
old stick
on a stick
one cannot break a stick in a bundle
one can't break a stick in a bundle
one can't break sticks in a bundle
orange stick
pace stick
peppermint stick
pica stick
pick-up sticks
piggy stick
pimp stick
pipe-stick
pixie stick
play stick
pogo stick
pointing stick
poking-stick
polo-stick
pongee stick
Poohsticks
porridge-stick
puffy sticks
pugil stick
pumpkin-on-a-stick
punji stick
rabbit stick
rainstick
rhythm stick
rice stick
riddle stick
router on a stick
Sabbath stick
salt stick
satay stick
sea-stick
selfie stick
sex on a stick
shake a stick at
shave stick
shaving stick
sherm stick
shift stick
shimmer stick
shit end of the stick
shit stick
shitty stick
shoe stick
shooting stick
short end of the stick
sidestick
singles stick
size stick
ski stick
snap stick
speak softly and carry a big stick
splash stick
stick and carrot
stick-and-poke
stick-at-itiveness
stick boy
stick bug
stick chart
stick deodorant
stickfighter
stickfighting
stick figure
stick frog
stick insect
stick in the mud
sticklac
stickless
stick letter
stickman
stick-nest rat
stick nudger
stick of furniture
stick of gum
stick phone
stick puller
stick pusher
stickpusher
sticks and stones
sticks and stones may break my bones
stick season
stick shaker
stickshaker
stickshift
sticks in a bundle are unbreakable
sticks in a bundle cannot be broken
sticks in a bundle can't be broken
stick-thin
stick time
stick to one's last
stick up one's ass
stick up one's butt
stick welding
stinky stick
strike-stick
sugar cane stick
swagger stick
swizzle stick
talking stick
talk softly and carry a big stick
tally stick
tar with the same stick
tear stick
tea stick
Thai stick
the moon on a stick
throwing stick
thunderstick
toddy stick
track stick
trench stick
twin-stick
ugly stick
up stick
up sticks
up the stick
USB stick
walking stick
walk softly and carry a big stick
Welsh stick
whizzing stick
wrong end of the stick
yamstick
yardstick
you cannot break a stick in a bundle
you cannot break sticks in a bundle
you can't break a stick in a bundle
you can't break sticks in a bundle
Related terms: word: handle
word: bone
word: tree
word: sceptre
word: string
word: tube