adhering

[ad-heer-ing]

adjective

1. attaching or staying attached; sticking, or causing something to stick, to something else.

   She worked away with a steel scraper to loosen the adhering carpet where it had been glued to the floor.

2. devoted in allegiance; attached as a follower, supporter, or member.

   Under the OECD Council decision on multinational enterprises, each adhering country must set up a National Contact Point for dispute resolution.

3. holding firmly or closely to something (often used in combination).

   Respond to all employee complaints promptly and in a professional, confidential, policy-adhering manner.

noun

1. the act or fact of sticking, clinging, or holding closely or firmly to something.

   We can't just call for an adhering to due process—we need to actually ensure that due process happens.

2. Chemistry, Physics.,  (of two or more dissimilar substances) the fact of being united by a molecular force acting in the area of contact.

   The adhering of the molecules of a gas on the surface of a solid is called adsorption.

3. the fact of being devoted or attached to a person or thing as a follower, member, or supporter.

   Under the law, cruising in an enemy ship intending to capture or destroy American ships is an adhering to the enemies of the United States.

Other Word Forms

• nonadhering adjective
• unadhering adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of adhering¹

First recorded in 1545–55; adher(e) ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses; adher(e) ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. ) for the noun senses

Example Sentences

The media regulator has published guidelines designed to make the internet safer for women and girls - and threatened to make it "absolutely clear to the public" which platforms are not adhering to them.

Read more on BBC

“We are adhering to the procedure and timeline established by the European Commission, and trust they will bring this proceeding to a quick and fair close,” SAP said.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

"It's an unspoken rule, but it's what we are adhering to for the first time: there will be no active acoustic program on board the ship, no sonar" while in Russian waters, he explained.

Read more on Barron's

Although Russia suspended its participation in the treaty in 2023, it is widely believed to be adhering to limits on its deployed nuclear missiles.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Gen. Robert Ashley, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, told the Hudson Institute that “Russia probably is not adhering to the nuclear-testing moratorium in a manner consistent with the zero-yield standard.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• biased 
• one-sided 
• sectarian 
• sympathetic 
• unjust