adhere
Americanverb (used without object)
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to stay attached; stick fast; cleave; cling (usually followed byto ).
The mud adhered to his shoes.
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Physics, Chemistry. (of two or more dissimilar substances) to be united by a molecular force acting in the area of contact.
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to be devoted in support or allegiance; be attached as a follower or upholder (usually followed byto ).
to adhere to a party.
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to hold closely or firmly (usually followed byto ).
to adhere to a plan.
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Obsolete. to be consistent.
verb (used with object)
verb
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(usually foll by to) to stick or hold fast
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(foll by to) to be devoted (to a political party, cause, religion, etc); be a follower (of)
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(foll by to) to follow closely or exactly
adhere to the rules
Synonym Usage
See stick 2.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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adheresimple
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adheressimple
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have adheredperfect
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has adheredperfect
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am adheringprogressive
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are adheringprogressive
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is adheringprogressive
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have been adheringperfect progressive
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has been adheringperfect progressive
Past
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adheredsimple
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had adheredperfect
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was adheringprogressive
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were adheringprogressive
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had been adheringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of adhere
First recorded in 1590–1600; from Medieval Latin adhērēre for Latin adhaerēre ( ad- ad- + haerēre “to stick, cling”), perhaps via Middle French adhérer
Explanation
If you don't want monkey droppings to adhere to the sole of your shoe, watch where you’re walking. Maybe if you'd adhere, or stick to, the zoo rules and stay on the walking path, you wouldn't have to worry about it. Adhere is from the 15th-century French verb meaning "to stick." Things that are sticky will adhere, or attach, to surfaces and stay there, whether you want them to or not; in other words, they're adhesive, an adjective that comes from the same Latin source as the French verb. When a person chooses to adhere to something, it is more of a choice to stick with it or agree to abide by rules or guidelines. You can also adhere by being loyal, as when you adhere to the high moral standards or behavior expected of some organization.
Vocabulary lists containing adhere
100 SAT Words Beginning with "A"
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Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 2
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Essential English Vocabulary, List 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Statutory guidance, which sets out what schools must do to adhere to the law, will come into force into September.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
They had goals to meet and, consciously or not, they did not adhere to professional and personal decorum in order to achieve those goals.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
Outbound investment should adhere to the "overall national security concept", the regulations state, while aiming to "balance domestic and international considerations".
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
Museveni, who has ruled the country since 1986, routinely addresses the nation on TV, chiding residents to adhere to proper hygiene and other preventive measures.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
The slight had been a way of punishing her for her militancy and her refusal to adhere to the more moderate approach of the National American Woman Suffrage Association.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
Her Netflix series adheres to them while adding historical context.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
Wong Kim Ark is well-reasoned and adheres to a centuries-old common-law tradition.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026
But the main reason is that Gorsuch adheres to a specific philosophy in how to read the law, called textualism.
From Slate ● May 13, 2026
Kirklees Council said it now adheres to "the highest modern standards of safety in managing and monitoring asbestos in our buildings as part of a robust asbestos management plan".
From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2026
Nonviolent passive resistance is effective as long as your opposition adheres to the same rules as you do.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
“I think one of the jobs of universities in America is to understand, have a balanced approach, understand the guardrails and the safeguards that need to be adhered to as AI proliferates.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 5, 2026
The vice president adhered to Biden’s admonition that there be “no daylight” between the two of them as she campaigned for president after he withdrew from the race.
From Salon ● May 5, 2026
"It's never been used. It's never been adhered to."
From BBC ● May 1, 2026
“When Anthropic adhered to its longstanding views about AI safety and the limitations of its services, Defendants carried out that threat.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 10, 2026
Under the conditions prevailing it provides mere paper security and promotes a completely unjustified impression that safe limits have been established and are being adhered to.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
“Just breaking out and being who you are and not adhering to these labels and not being put in this box — that mentality is in all of Gregg’s movies.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
That’s why farms emphasize safety rules for workers like wearing shoe covers and adhering to strict handwashing requirements.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
BlackRock will repurchase 5% of the requested shares, adhering to its stated threshold and cashing out investors prorated.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
“One thing that we’ve really been adamant about is getting the schemes that the coaches put us in and adhering to those schemes,” Nneka Ogwumike said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2026
Meanwhile, Jaime and Nicolas were growing up apart from the feminine dyad, adhering to the then common belief that “we have to become men.”
From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
