stick out

British  

verb

1. to project or cause to project

2. informal (tr) to endure (something disagreeable) (esp in the phrase stick it out )

3. informal to be extremely obvious

4. (intr) to insist on (a demand), refusing to yield until it is met

   the unions stuck out for a ten per cent wage rise

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stick out Idioms  

1. Also, stick out a mile or like a sore thumb . Be very prominent or conspicuous, as in Dad's funny hat made him stick out in the crowd , or That purple house sticks out a mile , or John's lie sticks out like a sore thumb . The first term dates from the mid-1500s, the variants from the first half of the 1900s. The variant using thumb alludes to the propensity for holding an injured thumb stiffly, making it stand out (and thereby risking further injury).

2. Continue doing something, endure something, as in I know you don't like it but you have to stick out the job for another month . [Late 1600s] A variant is stick it out , as in His new play's boring, but since he's my cousin we'd better stick it out . [Late 1800s] Also see stick it , def. 1.

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Example Sentences

Stick out the bad years because good ones will follow.

From New York Times • Jan. 7, 2020

Stick out your thumb on the highway and see the country in ways so few have.

From Time • Jun. 22, 2013

Stick out your hands out over your broom, and say, “Up!”

From "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" by J.K. Rowling

"Shrug your shoulders. Puff out your cheeks. Touch your nose and then my finger. Stick out your tongue."

From "The Sky at Our Feet" by Nadia Hashimi

Stick out his chest Girl, what you say to Miss Millie?

From "The Color Purple" by Alice Walker

Related Words

• bulge
• bulge out
• jut out
• poke out
• protrude
• stand out