adhesive
Americanadjective
-
coated with glue, paste, mastic, or other sticky substance.
adhesive bandages.
-
sticking fast; sticky; clinging.
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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
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a substance that causes something to adhere, as glue or rubber cement.
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Philately. a postage stamp with a gummed back, as distinguished from one embossed or printed on an envelope or card.
adjective
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able or designed to adhere; sticky
adhesive tape
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tenacious or clinging
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of adhesive
First recorded in 1660–70; adhes(ion) + -ive
Explanation
An adhesive is something sticky that holds things together. Use an adhesive to repair a cracked plate. Adhesive comes from the Latin adhaerere, meaning "stick to," which is precisely what something adhesive does — it sticks to things. An adhesive bonds surfaces together. It's the sticky side on a roll of duct tape that causes it to be so effective. The word can be used to describe both the substance itself: to use an adhesive, for example — or its property of stickiness: an adhesive bandage sticks to the skin.
Vocabulary lists containing adhesive
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
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100 Great Words from "Fahrenheit 451" -- Part I Vocabulary
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"Modern Automotive Technology," Vocabulary from Section 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.
The adhesive CreateMe uses is thermoset, which means that ironing or washing machine temperatures aren't enough to melt it and make the clothes fall apart, insists Myers.
From BBC • May 18, 2026
The team found that particle networks, adhesive interactions, and space-filling effects all contribute to the material's resistance to volume changes.
From Science Daily • May 13, 2026
Of those factors, one proves more adhesive than the rest.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2026
Nearly 50 butterflies are cataloged in these pages through rinpun, a technique that uses adhesive to transfer the scales from butterfly wings onto paper.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026
These are thin disks about the size of a quarter which are stuck on your chest with a special kind of glue and then covered by adhesive tape.
From "Flying to the Moon: An Astronaut's Story" by Michael Collins
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.
