adhesive

[ ad-hee-siv, -ziv ]
See synonyms for: adhesiveadhesivesadhesiveness on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. coated with glue, paste, mastic, or other sticky substance: adhesive bandages.

  2. sticking fast; sticky; clinging.

  1. Physics. of or relating to the molecular force that exists in the area of contact between unlike bodies and that acts to unite them.

noun
  1. a substance that causes something to adhere, as glue or rubber cement.

  1. Philately. a postage stamp with a gummed back, as distinguished from one embossed or printed on an envelope or card.

Origin of adhesive

1
First recorded in 1660–70; adhes(ion) + -ive

Other words from adhesive

  • ad·he·sive·ly, adverb
  • ad·he·sive·ness, noun
  • non·ad·he·sive, adjective
  • non·ad·he·sive·ly, adverb
  • non·ad·he·sive·ness, noun
  • sem·i·ad·he·sive, adjective
  • sem·i·ad·he·sive·ly, adverb
  • sem·i·ad·he·sive·ness, noun
  • un·ad·he·sive, adjective
  • un·ad·he·sive·ly, adverb
  • un·ad·he·sive·ness, noun

Words Nearby adhesive

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use adhesive in a sentence

  • Then, the merkin is applied with an adhesive; Ledermann uses a matte substance by Telesis.

    Hollywood's Most Private Accessory | Claire Howorth | September 20, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • Have you ever seen 11 players with a relationship so adhesive to the ball?

    Who Will Win the World Cup? | Tunku Varadarajan | July 10, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • This work fascinates children, and as the stars are adhesive, it can be done in class with very little trouble.

    The Story of the Thirteen Colonies | H. A. (Hlne Adeline) Guerber
  • In the case of a sprained ankle a properly applied adhesive strap bandage will give no end of relief and support.

    The Mother and Her Child | William S. Sadler
  • The tape Mac used to insure his connection had an asbestos base, with adhesive gum insinuated into the tape.

    Tight Squeeze | Dean Charles Ing
  • The side of the box showed that it had been made adhesive, for the sake of security, to another substance.

    Rhoda Fleming, Complete | George Meredith
  • Virgil refers to it as a "glue more adhesive than bird-lime and the pitch of Phrygian Ida."

    A Year in the Fields | John Burroughs

British Dictionary definitions for adhesive

adhesive

/ (ədˈhiːsɪv) /


adjective
  1. able or designed to adhere; sticky: adhesive tape

  2. tenacious or clinging

noun
  1. a substance used for sticking objects together, such as glue, cement, or paste

Derived forms of adhesive

  • adhesively, adverb
  • adhesiveness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for adhesive

adhesive

[ ăd-hēsĭv ]


Noun
  1. A substance, such as paste or cement, that causes two surfaces to stick together. Adhesives are made of gelatin or other substances, such as epoxy, resin, or polyethylene.

Adjective
  1. Relating to adhesion.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.