adhere

[ad-heer]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR adhere ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), ad·hered, ad·her·ing.

to stay attached; stick fast; cleave; cling (usually followed by to): The mud adhered to his shoes.

Physics. (of two or more dissimilar substances) to be united by a molecular force acting in the area of contact.

to be devoted in support or allegiance; be attached as a follower or upholder (usually followed by to): to adhere to a party.

to hold closely or firmly (usually followed by to): to adhere to a plan.

Obsolete. to be consistent.

verb (used with object), ad·hered, ad·her·ing.

to cause to adhere; make stick: Glue will adhere the tiles to the wallboard.

Origin of adhere

1590–1600; < Medieval Latin adhērēre for Latin adhaerēre (ad- ad- + haerēre to stick, cling), perhaps via Middle French adhérer

Related formsad·her·a·ble, adjectivead·her·er, nounnon·ad·her·ing, adjectivepre·ad·here, verb (used without object), pre·ad·hered, pre·ad·her·ing.un·ad·her·ing, adjective

Synonyms for adhere

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR adhere ON THESAURUS.COM

1. See stick².

Antonyms for adhere

1. part, loosen.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for adhering

heed, observe, obey, comply, attach, unite, fasten, support, practice, mind, keep, maintain, fulfill, follow, respect, cleave, fix, cement, cohere, glue

Examples from the Web for adhering

Contemporary Examples of adhering

Ben is not Orthodox or particularly committed to adhering to traditional Jewish laws.
My Week on Jewish Tinder
Emily Shire
January 5, 2015
Place a pastry circle over each bowl, adhering it with the egg wash.
Make These Barefoot Contessa Chicken Pot Pies
Ina Garten
November 29, 2014
To be sure, the trade-off for adhering to Chinese restrictions is a lucrative market of professionals.
LinkedIn Accidently Censors Tiananmen Square Content
Tim Mak
June 3, 2014
What could audiences possibly gain from watching Hollywood personnel go through the motions of adhering to an Asian precursor?
What Asian Film Remakes Like ‘Oldboy’ Get Wrong
Jimmy So
November 26, 2013
They were adhering to a code of silence that had seemingly been reinforced by the institution.
Rutgers Athletes Stay Silent on Mike Rice
Lizzie Crocker
April 4, 2013

Historical Examples of adhering

It will be noticed that Captain Eri was adhering strictly to the truth.
Cap'n Eri
Joseph Crosby Lincoln
The key had risen over the ridge which had held it, and was adhering to the knife.
The Great Drought
Sterner St. Paul Meek
Never be ashamed of adhering to what you know to be your duty.
Advice to a Young Man upon First Going to Oxford
Edward Berens
True manliness consists in adhering to what you think to be right.
Advice to a Young Man upon First Going to Oxford
Edward Berens
By adhering to it she was simply fulfilling the contract she had entered into with him.
Mary Wollstonecraft
Elizabeth Robins Pennell

British Dictionary definitions for adhering

adhere

verb (intr)

(usually foll by to) to stick or hold fast

(foll by to) to be devoted (to a political party, cause, religion, etc); be a follower (of)

(foll by to) to follow closely or exactlyadhere to the rules

Derived Formsadherence, noun

Word Origin for adhere

C16: via Medieval Latin adhērēre from Latin adhaerēre to stick to

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See adhesion

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

Word Origin and History for adhering

adhere

1590s, from Middle French adhérer (15c.) or directly from Latin adhaerare "to stick to" (see adherent). Originally often of persons, "to cleave to a leader, cause, party, etc." (cf. adherent, still often used in this sense). Related: Adhered; adhering.